La danza d'amore e morte
by theblackbutlerdiva666
Summary: 100 and some odd years after he helps Sebastian and Rose, the undertaker meets a woman that changes his whole life. Will he be able to win her heart and save her from destruction. May be considered AU. Written in first person because I adore the undertaker. (Title is Italian for The Dance of Love and Death). Second in the Meddling Goddesses series.
1. Prologue and Chapter One

La danza d'amore e morte

by theblackbutlerdiva666 (Story copyright 2013. Note I do not own any of the Kuro characters. I only own my original characters and the two poems that appear later in the story)

I have seen kingdoms rise and fall, I have seen people be born and I have seen people die. Through it all one truth remains, there is a delicate balance between love and death. The line between love and death is as thin as a razors edge. I've seen so many kill in the name of what they call love. Who am I? I am the Roman Goddess Libitina; the goddess of corpses, funerals, and the dead. My mother is Morta, the Roman goddess of death and my father is Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld. Trust me I know what most mortals would think if I told them who I really am. What is a goddess doing in this modern time, in the year 2012 which in a few short months will be the year 2013. Well it's a long story. I normally train the death maidens that serve under my mother, but at the moment there are no women who have the talent for the job. So for the time being, I serve my mother as her one and only death maiden, a claimer of the souls she has marked for her halls. Some would call me a grim reaper, but the grim reapers have to claim the souls and the life records, sometimes called cinematic records, of the dead no matter what. A death maiden only claims the souls that are marked by their goddess or god, depending on who the death maiden serves. Morta lets me see what kind of life the soul that she has marked has led and depending on the evidence I bring the soul a beautiful death or a painful one. Since I am a goddess I am immortal so I cannot die. although there have been some moments that I have wished that I could. The first time I wanted to die was when I had to claim the soul of my husband. It was when Rome was still young and I made the mistake of falling in love with a mortal. Despite him knowing what I was, we married but we never had any children. We were very happy and when he died it broke a part of me. I refused to speak to my mother for a long time after she made me claim his soul. The other times I have wished for death were caused by people trying to use me or get to me because of my beauty. My looks have caused me all sorts of trouble. I'm 5'8", I have pale skin and lips that are a deep red. I have blue/green eyes that change color with my mood and thanks to my nearsightedness I have to wear glasses. I don't look a day over 29 but I have snow white hair that has two blue streaks in it that does all the way down to my ankles which is why I wear it in a net that I clip at the back of my head. My beauty is what coined the phrase "drop dead gorgeous" or so I've been told by another goddess. Apparently one silly mortal man saw my true form and dropped dead with a sigh of gorgeous on his lips. Seeing a goddess or a god in their true form is quite fatal for mortals, which is why we don't show our true forms often. While this mortal was quite flattering, it was also annoying. Mortals chase the gods and goddesses for a chance at immortality more than most others would realize. The mortals will never be able to understand what pain my beauty has brought me. Men chase me for it and of course the chance to become immortal. I have been hurt so badly that I have taken a razor to parts of my body that I normally do not show. I have left scars there to ward others off that are just after one thing. My pain is so deep that I don't trust any man and I don't think I ever will. Not until I meet a man who can see the outer and inner scars and still love me for who I really am. I am the goddess of the dead and I am waiting for the one who will bring me back to life.

Chapter One: Fate's First Crossing

My mother called me into her hall early one evening to talk. Tomorrow was Halloween and there was a rogue soul on the loose. The man was in his late 20s and a convicted child molester who had just killed his first victim after escaping from prison. Tonight due to his actions was his time to die. I was to give him the worst death possible and have it done before the mortal children went trick-or-treating. I kneeled at my mother's feet and thumped my chest with my fist, which was my way of showing her respect.

"As you wish my mother" I said. I left her halls and went home to get my gear. I changed into my death maiden clothes which included a black peasant top, black jeans, a skull belt, skull cameo, skull earrings and my other ear piercings, a long black hooded cloak, and black ankle boots. I was almost ready to go. I gathered my soul jars, these special jars contained the soul I claimed until I could give it to my mother. I picked up my sword, put it in it's sheath which I attached inside my cloak, and went towards my front door. As an after thought I grabbed a mask off my wall before I went out the door. I slipped the mask on my face and then went off to hunt the rogue. His name was Salvatore Roganti and he was headed towards the graveyard according to my goddess senses. I arrived at the graveyard and started hunting. I almost had Salvatore cornered when another man showed up. He was tall, at least 6'2", had long silver gray hair that went just a little past his ass and hid his eyes. There was one part of his hair that had a braid in it. He wore black pants, a long black shirt that had a little ring of white at the top, a long black hat that had a long piece of black fabric hanging from it. He also wore black boots that had all sorts of silver buckles on them. In his had he held a silver scythe that glinted in the light. At the top before the blade started there was a carved skeleton; spine, ribs, and a skull. Around the skull was a crown of thorns. Then the man's head moved and I saw that not only did he have a scar on the part of his face that I could see, but that his ears like mine also had several piercings in them. Around his neck hung two strands of beads and on one of his long fingers was a ring with a green stone. I frowned, thanks to this man, my quarry had gotten away for the moment.

"Who are you?" I asked from inside the hood of my cloak. I was grateful I had slipped the mask on, I didn't want just anybody seeing my face.

"I am the undertaker. I am a retired grim reaper" the man said.

"You don't look retired to me" I said as I pointed a long black fingernail at the scythe.

"Well I was called in for this case, despite the fact they didn't want to call me in. That soul that got away is extremely dangerous" he said.

"Yes, I know that. That particular soul though is marked for the worst death possible by the Goddess Morta. You have no claim to it reaper. Now you have kept me from my work and I must go" I said and then I vanished. The undertaker stood looking at the spot where the strange woman had been. The last time a goddess had stepped into his life was over a hundred years ago when he helped a love struck demonic couple leave their old lives behind. The goddess that helped him help Rose and Sebastian vanish from demon radar was the Roman Goddess Venus. For his help in the matter though he had received a note from the Roman Goddess Fortuna that had promised him that he would find what he most wanted in time. Now the Roman Goddess of death, Lady Morta, was here and had a cloaked female in her employ. Was the cloaked woman a reaper too? He would have to report this as soon as possible. While the undertaker wondered who I was, I was chasing down the soul again. I finally caught him, but it took me all night to do so. I spent hours carving up his flesh with my sword, reminding him of his crimes, telling him this was what he deserved before I took his life and his soul and returned to my mother's hall with the soul jar. As I gave the jar to my mother, I slipped off my mask and decided to tell her about what had happened earlier.

"I met someone interesting tonight" I told her as she put the jar on a shelf for later.

"Did you now?" she asked.

"Yes I did. He called himself the undertaker. He said he was a retired grim reaper who had been sent after that soul" I said as I pointed to the jar.

"Oh did he now? We goddesses know him well. Your aunts Fortuna and Venus met him over one hundred years ago" she said.

"They did?" I asked, a little surprised.

"Yes they did. And he isn't just a reaper dear. He's also a shinigami" she said. I raised an eyebrow, the one that had my newest piercing in it, in disbelief.

"He's a god of death?" I asked. I had heard of there being shinigami, but I had always thought that it was just a legend.

"Yes dear he is. He's one of the four shinigami that I know of. I need to have a word with the reapers and see if we can get this misunderstanding cleared up. There is nothing pressing for tomorrow so take the night and go sing at that club you like so much" she said as she escorted me home. I snickered to myself, if only she knew who owned the club that I had told her about.

"Alright then. Good night mother" I said as I entered my home. I hugged her good-bye and then she vanished. I slowly closed the door and went to change for bed. As I let down my hair I knew that I would not be sleeping this night. There was way too much on my mind. I climbed into bed and laid there, pondering all that had happened, until at last I drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Second Encounter

The undertaker stood before William T. Spears and tried to hide his emotions as the younger shinigami lectured him about how he had handled the meeting with the mystery woman the night before.

"Undertaker, sir, as you know your reputation was quite sullied after the Campania incident. Now we have put all that behind us even though it took me a while to convince Mr. Knox and Mr. Sutcliff to not kill you and this happens. You let an unknown female working for a goddess get away without knowing what she was up to" William said, pushing his black glasses back up his nose.

"Yes I did because she was working for a goddess William. I've been visited by them before, I know how they work. I do not question Goddesses nor will I start" the undertaker said. In all honesty the undertaker would rather forget what happened on the Campania, he had learned his lesson from that all too well. Not that he wasn't still curious, he just knew better not to make any more of his little creations in this time period. The trouble they would cause wouldn't be worth his amusement or satisfy any curiosity he still had about how the soul worked in a living human being.

"Fine. You're just lucky that this Goddess has already called me and set up a meeting so we can discuss this further. I expect you to be there tomorrow. Morta said she would send a messenger to all of us so we know where to go" William said.

"Then I will see you then William. Good day" the undertaker said before he vanished. He made himself appear in his home in the shinigami realm and was just getting settled when he felt a feminine presence.

"May I speak to you undertaker" the female presence asked.

"Of course. Please come into my home" the undertaker said. A woman appeared and the undertaker recognized her at once.

"Do you remember me?" she asked.

"Yes I do. You're Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty" the undertaker said. She laughed softly.

"Yes I am. I am here to give you two messages. The first is that in the morning your mind will be filled with how to get to my sister Morta's hall. The second message is that tonight you are to go to a club called La Petite Mort. There you will find what my other sister Fortuna told you about several years ago" Venus said with a smile.

"The club is called The little death?" the undertaker said before he burst out in a loud, insane laugh.

"Yes it is. From what another goddess told me, the owner named it that as a joke" Venus said.

"Ah that explains a lot. I will make sure to go there tonight" the undertaker said.

"Keep your heart open" Venus said before she vanished.

"Why did she tell me that?" the undertaker mumbled under his breath as he went about his day. Finally night came. As the undertaker prepared to go I appeared in La Petite Mort. Even though tonight was Halloween, my club was packed. I smiled, thinking to myself how nobody here would guess that I owned La Petite Mort let alone that I was a goddess. Even though my club attracted a lot of supernatural customers, nobody knew that I was a supernatural being. Sure I got hit on, but the men here just thought I was nothing more than a single woman here to have fun. On occasion, when I felt like it, I sang here. Tonight was one of the nights I felt like singing. I was going to sing "Crashing High" by The 69 Eyes and possibly another song if I decided to. As I got up the stage I saw the undertaker make his way into my club. I couldn't believe it, how had he found his way here? I pondered that as I made my way to the microphone. As I faced the audience, he stood in the shadows. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I knew that he was staring right at me. I thanked Juno that he had not seen my face last night, it would make it easier for me to pretend that I didn't know him. The band started to play and I slipped my voice into the sultry alto I used to sing. I pushed everything out of my mind and sang. This song was all about wondering why a person would want to fall in love. Sometimes even I wondered that question. Love always ended in heartbreak, at least in my experience. As I finished the song there were loud applause from the audience.

"Thank you everybody. We'll be back after a short break" I said with a smile before I slipped off stage. The undertaker stared at the beauty that had just walked off stage into the shadows. Something about her voice sounded so familiar, he just didn't know where he had heard it before. He stood there thinking for a while before he spotted her again. She was headed back to the stage so the undertaker took a moment to really look at her. She was hauntingly beautiful with pale skin, blue/green eyes that were framed by purple glasses, pierced ears, a pierced eyebrow, and white hair that was clipped behind her head. As she picked up the microphone to sing he noticed that her nails were long and glittered black. I noticed as I picked up a mic that the undertaker was still there and I could feel him watching me closely. I tried to ignore him as the band started playing the last song I would sing tonight. It was by my favorite band HIM and was called "And Love Said No." I flicked my pierced tongue over the back of my teeth, opened my mouth and sang. I picked this song because I could feel a goddess meddling somewhere, trying to do something to me. I didn't appreciate being meddled with. As I came to the end, I let the song die away and then slipped once more into the darkness. The undertaker blinked in surprise at the song the mystery woman had just finished. There had been so much pain in the tone she had sung in that it had touched his heart. He wondered what had hurt her so badly and if it could be anything like what had scared his heart. He looked around for her so he could talk to her, but she had vanished. He cursed under his breath, angry at himself for missing a chance to talk to someone he was sure wasn't mortal. Little did he know just how soon he would see the mystery woman again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Uniting the Troops

When I left La Petite Mort tonight I made sure to vanish goddess style. I wasn't ready to talk to the undertaker yet and I knew that he had wanted to speak to me. Even though I had not been able to see his eyes, I could feel them on me as I sang and it gave me goose bumps. I also knew he could tell I wasn't human, that I wasn't a mortal being. Things were spiraling out of control and I could feel my Aunt Venus at work. Sometimes I despised the fact that my aunt was the goddess of love, she had a nasty habit of meddling where she didn't belong. That was why I really chose to sing "And Love Said No." When my husband died all those years ago, I had begged my Aunt Venus and my mother Morta to let me die with him. My aunt said no, it wasn't my time yet. A greater love, an unending love, was waiting for me sometime in the future. When she and my mother refused me, I went to my father Pluto and begged him to end it. He also refused, telling me that he sided with my mother on this point. So I stayed as I was, an immortal beauty that men tried over the centuries to use. I closed down my heart and built the walls that surround it even now. I'm not sure if I even believe in true love anymore. As I made my way home, I rumbled to myself about how a certain goddess should mind her own business until I reached my front door. Upon entering my house I found my mother sitting in the living room, waiting for me.

"Good evening mother" I said as I sat down in the chair closest to my fireplace. My mother had put some logs on and lit them, so the room was warm and bathed in firelight. A nice treat because the night had a chill to it that was unexpected for where I lived.

"Good evening Libitina. I have set up a meeting with the shinigami tomorrow at noon. Venus has alerted each so they know exactly where to go. Please don't be late" my mother said.

"There are four of them correct?" I asked as I took off my black combat boots.

"That is correct, there are four of them and they will all be there tomorrow" she said as she stood.

"I won't be late, you have my word" I said as I stood to hug her. After she kissed my cheek, she vanished out of my living room. I got ready for bed and slipped into my long unshared king sized bed. I slept deeply and soundly, with no dreams filling my mind. The next day I put on a shirt that advertised my favorite band which is called Dommin. It is my favorite shirt because it has a rose skull on it, what can I say I have a thing for skulls. I also put on a pair of black jeans, a couple of silver waist chains, black combat boots, all my piercings, a pair of buckle up arm warmers (the fingerless kind), and my favorite skull cameo. I put my hair up out of habit and made myself appear in my mother's hall. I was early so I decided to play a little joke on the shinigami, cloaking my presence and turning invisible. That way I could check them out without them knowing I was there. It didn't take too long for the shinigami to arrive. The four that appeared were all male, one of which was the undertaker. I pushed up my purple glasses with a black fingernail and smirked as a black haired man stepped forward and spoke to my mother.

"Greetings to you Goddess Morta. I am William T. Spears and I am the head of my department. I would like to thank you for speaking to us, I was quite surprised to hear that you were involved with that rogue soul the other evening" William said. He was tall, 6'0" and his black hair was slicked back. He wore glasses that were black and he had yellow/green eyes. I disliked him in an instant. My mother must have gotten a hint of my distaste because she smiled in my direction.

"Greetings to you William. You know who I am, I have no need to tell you why I chose to do what I do. But I would like to know who you have in your employ" my mother said. I snickered softly as William bowed his head.

"Introduce yourselves!" William hissed at the other three. A red haired man stepped forward first.

"I am Grell Sutcliff" Grell said. He was an inch shorter than me which made him 5'7". He had long red hair, red glasses, shark teeth, and yellow/green eyes. I could have laughed loudly at how flashy he was in all that red. Grell stepped back in line and a very young looking man stepped forward.

"I am Ronald Knox" Ronald said with a fancy bow to my mother. This one was a charmer, I could tell. He was 5'9", mostly blonde haired but the ends of it were black. He also wore glasses and had yellow/green eyes. He seemed very sweet, charming, and quite a flirt but he was way too young for his job in my opinion. Ronald stepped back in line and the undertaker stepped forward.

"I am the undertaker" he said with a bow and then he stepped back in line.

"Thank you gentlemen. I called you here because we have been getting our lines of communication mixed up. This can no longer happen. Fate has told me something big is about to happen so prevent these mix ups from happening one of you will be working with my associate" my mother said. William glared at her and frowned.

"When do we get to meet this person?" Ronald asked in excitement.

"Now" I said making my voice heard before I made myself appear in the room. I knelt before my mother and thumped my fist to my chest.

"In your service my lady" I said.

"Rise my messenger" she said. I loved when we played this game. I rose and turned to face the men, my eyes dancing.

"Who are you?" William asked as he gazed at me in disapproval. I chuckled as I caught the undertaker staring at me with his mouth hanging slightly open.

"I am Libitina. I am the goddess of corpses, funerals, and the dead. The goddess behind me is my mother" I said coldly as my mother sat on her throne. I heard the undertaker gasp in shock. Ha I had surprised him! I found that to be extremely amusing.

"Whoa you're goddess? That's awesome! But something tells me that you are something else besides a goddess" Ronald said.

"Ah what else I am is a secret young shinigami" I said as I wagged a long black fingernail at him coyly.

"You don't look much older than me" Ronald said with a pout. I laughed softly and smiled.

"We gods and goddesses age differently than mortals, kind of like the shinigami do. You see we gods and goddesses choose when to stop physically aging, but we continue to exist. So how old we look has no bearing on how old we actually are. In all honesty I was born right before the birth of the Roman Empire, so though I may look only 29, I am actually much much older" I said. Ronald's mouth fell open.

"Wow I would have never guessed" Ronald said. Even William straitened a bit, which made me give him a cold glare.

"Daughter choose which one you will trust to work with you for this assignment" my mother said. Of course she would remind me of the task at hand and why we were here. I went over to the undertaker and smiled at him.

"I find it would only be fair that you would be the one stuck with me after you interrupted me two nights ago and saw me sing last night" I said.

"That was you?! I thought you looked and sounded familiar" the undertaker said, his voice shaking a bit.

"Yes that was me. You seem surprised undertaker, I find that emotion to be quite amusing. Oh and by the way if we are going to be working together you need a name besides the undertaker. It will get annoying to have to call you that all the time" I said.

"Do you have something in mind?" the undertaker asked, his voice dripping in curiosity.

"Yes I do actually, if you don't mind" I said.

"Please do tell" he said.

"If you agree to it then I shall call you Thanatos Grimm. Thanatos was the name of the Greek god of death and for some reason the name seems to suit you in my mind" I said.

"I like it and it is the first time in a long time I have had a name. Thank you" Thanatos said.

"Then it is settled. Libitina show Thanatos where he will be staying while you work together. The rest of you are dismissed for the moment" my mother said as she clapped her hands. The other shinigami vanished and Thanatos and I were left standing on my doorstep. I glared up at the sky and swore.

"For Morta's sake!" I exclaimed angrily.

"What is the matter?" Thanatos asked. I let out a deep breath and got my temper under control.

"My mother seems to think it would be funny to have you stay with me in my house while we work together" I said as I took the house key out of my jeans pocket and put it into the lock.

"This is your home?" Thanatos asked.

"Yes it is, please come in" I said as I opened the door.

"It is lovely" he said as we walked in. I closed the door behind us and smiled. My house was huge by normal standards. It had six bedrooms (including mine) and four bathrooms (one of which was attached to my room).

"Thank you. Now let me show you to the guest bedroom" I said. I led him to the largest guest room which was done in silver and black, just like my room was. There was a queen sized bed made with the finest silk sheets, a desk and chair, a laptop computer, a telephone, and a window seat which had a lovely view of my back garden. I opened the door in the room which led to the guest bathroom and flicked on the light. Thanatos peeked in and gave a low whistle.

"This is far too grand for me" he said.

"I am a goddess Thanatos, all I have is grand. I want for nothing" I said.

"You have all this so my guess would be that you have somebody to share it with" he said. My heart skipped a beat and I bit my lip.

"People wise I have no one. I am not even sure I believe in love anymore even though my aunt is Venus the goddess of love" I said bitterly.

"You're aunt is the goddess Venus" Thanatos asked in surprise.

"Yes Venus is one of my aunts. I was told you met Venus over 100 years ago. By the way do you have any other clothes?" I asked.

"Yes I met your aunt Venus. Once over 100 years ago and again the night I showed up at La Petite Mort. And no I do not have any other clothes, it's been a long time since I have been shopping" Thanatos said sheepishly.

"I had a feeling that my aunt was the reason you showed up at La Petite Mort. Anyways since you don't have any other clothes I shall take you shopping tomorrow. I don't like going to the mall in the afternoon it gets way too crowded with noisy mortals. Plus I have a feeling that tonight Nocturna may show up" I said.

"Who is Nocturna?" Thanatos asked.

"She is a beautiful wolf that lives in my woods. Every time I have company she likes to come out and see who is hanging about" I said.

"Oh really? Do you get along with all animals?" Thanatos asked.

"No not all. I can't stand bees, wasps, hornets, spiders, and mice. I have a cat named Morticia that is around here somewhere. She is very shy for an Egyptian Mau, so I rarely see her when I have company. But she is my comfort when my day seems to be going to hell. Oh speaking of the underworld I should warn you that my father is Pluto, God of the underworld and of riches. He likes to pop up unexpectedly every now and again" I said. In all honesty I wasn't very close to my father. We hardly ever spoke so having him pop in on me was a sore point and caused bad feelings between us. Thanatos seemed to notice my mood change as I led him out of the guest bedroom because he took my hand. He turned me to face him and my face flushed red in anger, so he dropped my hand quickly. I hate to admit it but I have issues with being touched.

"Libitina I could care less who your parents are. I do respect the old gods and goddesses, which is unusual for most shinigami, but I'm older than most. I may look only 31, but like you I am much older than I seem to be, which makes me a bit wiser than the others. I sensed such sorrow in you when I heard you sing last night. I want to get to know you and maybe in time you can tell me what hurt you so" he said very gently. I looked at him and I let myself calm down slowly until my anger was once again in check.

"Thanatos I find you very interesting and a bit amusing. I would love to get to know you, but I make no promises about sharing my past. It is not only my heart that has been scared by my pain but also my soul. I've been hurt so badly that I really have a hard time trusting anybody" I said as I wrapped my arms around my middle.

"I can understand that. At least your scars aren't physical" he said. I don't know why, but I was drawn to touch what was visible of the scar on his face.

"Who said I didn't have physical scars? I can just cover them up with clothes. I scared myself to remind myself that my past was real and to keep the wrong type of men away from me. There have been several that just wanted me just for my immortality" I said as I gently ran a black fingernail over his scar. Then I remembered myself and I put my hands in my jeans pockets. Why in Tiber was I having such a hard time keeping my hands off of him? He was attractive, even though I couldn't see his face, but there was no way in Rome that I was going to let my guard down with a man that I didn't know.

"Others have tried to use you, I know all too well how that feels" he said. I glanced up at him and gave him one of my rare small smiles.

"It may be possible that we can be great friends Thanatos. Since you have seen some of the same pain I have at least I know that you won't hurt me like that" I said.

"Dear girl I would never think of hurting someone like you" he said. I blinked in surprise but I honestly believed him.

"It's rare for me to say this, but I believe you. You seem to be so kind" I said.

"Thank you I try to be. By the way I have no clue what country I'm in" he said. I gave a little sort of laughter.

"You're in the United States of America, in the state of California to be exact. The city down there is called Los Angeles, the city of angels" I said as I pointed out the window and down the huge hill. The city glittered in the afternoon light, shining just like the star it was.

"I've never seen such a mess of buildings. I've spent the last 100 some odd years hiding in the shinigami realm" he said. I decided I wouldn't ask him about the hiding part right now, he would tell me when he was ready.

"Los Angeles takes some getting used to. It's one of the busiest cities in the country. A lot goes on down there and not all of it is pleasant. It's nothing like Rome" I said with a sigh. How I had loved Rome!

"Do you miss it much?" he asked.

"Sometimes I do. When I get nostalgic I visit the modern Rome in Italy although my Italian is not that good. My Latin is fine, but nobody speaks Latin anymore" I said.

"I speak some French myself. I know that Italian, French, and Spanish are all based off of Latin so some words sound similar" Thanatos mused.

"Interesting. Did you spend some time in France?" I asked.

"Oi, I reaped Marie Antoinette's soul" he said with a shrug.

"Now there was an interesting lady" I said as I headed to the refrigerator to check what I had to eat. I got out a Tupperware of leftovers just to find out it was no longer good and wrinkled my nose. I guess I would have to cook lunch if we were going to eat.

"Yes she was quite interesting and a bit misunderstood" he said.

"I can imagine. Now what would you like for lunch? I'm getting hungry so I can imagine that you are too. My treat" I said as I took out a black apron and put it on.

"You can cook?" Thanatos asked in surprise.

"Yes I can. I am not one of those goddesses that just snaps her fingers for what she wants. I try to work for what I have" I said. A smile crossed the shinigami's face, making me want to smile.

"I like that, a hard days work gives a bit more meaning to the lives we lead" he said.

"That is true. Now you never answered my question Thanatos. What would you like for lunch?" I asked again. He chuckled softly, pushing a piece of hair behind his ear.

"Surprise me" he said. I raised my pierced eyebrow and then smirked at him.

"Two surprise lunches coming up" I said as I gathered things from my freezer and from my refrigerator. Then I got out a skillet and started cooking. Twenty minutes later I set two plates of pork stir fry out on the kitchen table.

"Lunch is served" I said and Thanatos came and sat down at the table. We ate in silence, just watching each other. I wondered what color his eyes were and what his face looked like under the hair that was in his face.

"That was wonderful" Thanatos said after he finished his last bite of food.

"I'm glad you liked it. Now I have one last question. Are you near sighted?" I asked after I finished my plate.

"Yes I am, but I really don't like wearing glasses" he said.

"Well you will need to be on your best game while we are working together. Since glasses aren't to your taste you can take these" I said as a case landed in my hand.

"These are magic contact lenses. Just put them into your eyes and they will adjust to let you see what you can't without them" I said.

"Thank you. Do you mind showing me to the nearest bathroom so I can put them in" he asked.

"Not a problem" I said as I stood up. I showed him to the bathroom and went back into the kitchen to take care of the lunch dishes. Thanatos closed the door softly and put a hand to his heart. It was racing and it ached to comfort the beautiful goddess in the other room. He hadn't felt this way since his wife had been alive. He pushed his hair out of his face and looked into the mirror. So many women had told him that he was handsome, only to hurt him in the end. He could understand Libitina's pain so well that it made him want to cry. While there had been one woman to remind him of his lost love, no woman had made him feel the kind of things his wife had. Now here he was in this modern age and for the first time he wanted to share his soul with another.

"It will take time dear shinigami" a soft female voice said before the goddess Venus appeared in the room with him. He jumped in surprise.

"What will take time Lady Venus?" he asked softly.

"It will take time for my niece to trust you. She has been in mourning for a long time and she has had her heart broken time and time again. Just be there for her, she will come to you in time" the goddess said.

"Why is she in mourning?" he asked.

"She will have to tell you that. Those magic contacts are a gift from me. They never have to be taken out or cleaned unlike the contacts the mortals use. Just snap your fingers and they will put themselves in" the goddess said before her physical form vanished.

"Please do me one favor Lady Venus. If Libitina is to love me and I her, let it happen without your magic. No offense meant my lady, but love made by magic isn't love to me" he said.

"As you wish" Venus said softly before her presence was totally gone. Thanatos sighed and he snapped his fingers. The contacts hovered and then placed themselves over his eyes. He blinked to adjust them and then saw clearly for the first time in ages. Then he pushed his hair back into his face and went to find Libitina. Night had fallen and I was outside snacking on a light dinner of cheese and apples. I sat under a tree on a blanket in the grass when I felt the shinigami's presence. I pushed up my glasses and smiled at him as he made his way towards me.

"Can you see better now?" I asked as he sat next to me.

"Yes I can thank you" he said as the leaves in the woods next to us rustled. A snow white wolf came out of the foliage and sat in front of me.

"Good evening Nocturna" I said as I held my hand out. She sniffed it gently and then licked it. Then she spotted Thanatos next to me.

"Greetings lady wolf" he said. She went over to him, sniffed him, and then sneezed. I had to snicker a bit.

"Yes Nocturna he is a god. A shinigami to be precise. He is going to be staying with me while we work together on some cases" I said. She let out a chuff.

"She likes you and says you are welcome here" I told Thanatos.

"Why thank you lady wolf. I shall be on my best behavior while I am here" Thanatos said with a bow. Then as quickly as she had come, Nocturna returned into the forest. I yawned then, completely exhausted.

"I'm sorry, but I am extremely tired. I need to get some sleep" I said as I got up off the blanket. Thanatos stood and picked up the blanket.

"I understand. Rest well Libitina" he said as we went back inside.

"Thank you, sleep well Thanatos" I said before I entered my room and closed the door. I changed and let down my hair before I climbed into my soft bed. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: First Joint Case

The next day I took Thanatos shopping like I had promised the night before. The mall was busy, but not as packed as it was in the afternoon. There were mortals milling about everywhere, most of the ones I noticed were staring at me and at Thanatos as we entered my favorite store. Once we were inside I started to pick up black tee shirts, black button up shirts, black sweaters, black jeans and black socks. I hardly went a day without wearing black and black seemed to suit Thanatos. He chuckled as I handed him the huge pile of clothes.

"Go try these on" I said gesturing towards the changing room. He headed in and closed the door after himself. He changed out of his traditional garb and into the modern clothes. Libitina had a good eye, everything she had chosen fit him well. I turned as I heard the changing room door open and I gasped. Thanatos looked great, everything I had chosen fit him perfectly. That was when I noticed the scar around his neck. I went over to him and gently ran a black fingernail over it, I just couldn't help myself.

"Someday you will have to tell me why you have these scars" I said quietly as I gently gestured to the one on his face with the other hand. I had no clue why I had such a hard time keeping my hands off of him. He made me feel at peace, which was very rare, and he made my heart jump every time I saw him. But I wasn't ready to let him get too close, I had made that mistake before. Thanatos took my hand and kissed it, surprising me and making me blush.

"Sometime soon my dear I shall tell you everything" he said. I gazed up at him, my heart racing at the feeling of his lips on my hand.

"Isn't there something else the two of you should be doing?" a male voice asked. We both turned and spotted William T. Spears standing there, wearing a business suit.

"Like what?" I asked as I stepped away from Thanatos.

"Ask your mother" William said as he turned. Annoyed with him, I stuck my tongue out at his back showing off my tongue ring. I heard Thanatos laugh hysterically before William vanished.

"Nice piercing" Thanatos said in my ear as I paid for his new clothes. I blushed a little, normally I didn't show off that particular piercing.

"Thank you" I said as I picked up the bags and we left the store.

"So how many piercings do you have?" he asked.

"Hmmm well let's see. I have eight in each ear, my left eyebrow, my tongue, the right side of my nose is pierced but I usually don't wear it, and my belly button is pierced. So that is a total of twenty piercings" I said.

"Wow" Thanatos said quietly.

"That's nothing compared to some women these days" I said as we got into my car.

"That I can believe after seeing some of those ladies in the mall" Thanatos said as he wrinkled his nose. I had to stifle a giggle as I drove us home. After we were safely parked in my driveway, I made us appear in my mother's hall.

"Ah Libitina you have perfect timing" my mother said.

"What is the matter mother?" I asked.

"There has been a double murder in the city that as of this moment is undiscovered by the mortal police. I need you to go collect the souls for me, since they both have my mark" she said. I knelt and thumped my fist to my chest.

"As you wish mother" I said. She dismissed us and I made us appear back in my house. We went to our separate rooms to gather our things and I got changed. I got my sword, which I called portatore di morte (which is Italian for Bringer of Death), out and sheathed it. Then I hung it from the loop in the back of my cloak. I put the cloak on, then my boots, and then exited my room. Thanatos was waiting for me by the door, wearing his traditional garb.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yes let's go and get this done" he said. I made us appear at the scene, which by all definitions was brutal. The bodies were of a man and a woman, both shot in the head. They had died in each others arms, like the man had tried to shield the woman but hadn't been able to prevent her demise.

"How tragic to die like that" Thanatos said with a sigh.

"It is sad, but it reminds me of a line from a song by favorite band HIM" I said.

"Which song is that?" he asked.

"The song is called 'Where Love and Death Embrace.' In love's last embrace this couple died. If only everybody could die in the arms of the ones they love, but sadly that isn't the case" I said as I turned away from the couple. Thanatos gently touched my arm, making me turn to face him.

"What happened to you to make you so bitter?" he asked softly.

"Thanatos I am not quite ready to tell you that. It's too soon" I said.

"I understand. I truly hope that some day soon you will trust me enough to share your pain with me" he said.

"Maybe some day" I said.

"Well let's get our work done in the meantime" he said, changing the subject effortlessly.

"Yes let's finish our work" I said. I took off my cloak and I heard Thanatos gasp as he saw the black scythe tattoo on my left shoulder. It had been hidden earlier by a jacket, so he hadn't known it was there until now.

"You're a death maiden" he said in surprise. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Few people knew that the mark was the mark of a death maiden. This shinigami was clever and sharp as a tack, I had to give him credit.

"Yes I am, I am surprised that you have heard of the death maidens. I normally train the maidens that work for my mother but as of this moment there are no women with the talent for the job. So until I can find a woman to train, I have to do the job" I said. Thanatos came over and gently ran a black fingernail over my tattoo and I shivered. My aunt had told me he used to have nails that were longer than mine, but he must have trimmed them in recent years.

"Do you have any other tattoos?" he asked before he backed away.

"Yes I do, but I normally don't show them" I said as I took my sword out of my cloak and unsheathed it. I went over to the corpses and tapped each with the tip of the sword. Their souls floated up out of their bodies and hovered in front of me.

"Dear souls your lives were taken before your time. My mother Morta, the goddess of death, wishes to give you a special place in her hall where you can be together forever" I said as I held out the soul jars. The souls cried out and entered the jars without a fuss. I put on the lids and attached the jars to my belt. Then Thanatos approached me, holding his beautiful silver scythe.

"I am going to need their cinematic records" he said.

"You won't need to cut them for that. Let me show you a little trick that I learned from my father" I said as I bent down. I tapped the head of the male corpse with a black fingernail and his memories came floating up out of his head. I popped an empty journal out of one pocket and the memories fled into the book. I repeated the process with the female corpse and gave both journals to Thanatos. He glanced at me in surprise.

"You can also do that by tapping their heads gently with your scythe" I said with a smug smile.

"Thank you Libitina, that was a much cleaner way of getting what I need" he said.

"You're welcome. No need to make more of a mess than there already is" I said as I indicated all the blood and gore around us.

"Very true, although in the days when I was a mortician I loved fixing up messes" he said with a giggle.

"Why doesn't that surprise me" I said as we gathered our gear. He smiled and shrugged as I made us vanish from the scene and we went to report to my mother. We gave her the soul jars and William was waiting there for the cinematic records. When Thanatos gave them to him, William glared at me and I crossed my arms over my chest staring him down. Then he vanished and I swore.

"For the love of Rome I do not like that man" I said. Thanatos chuckled, giving a slight snort as he hugged me. Surprised and caught off guard, I hugged him back.

"I don't like him very much either. He doesn't know how to laugh, let alone smile" Thanatos mused.

"I must admit I don't find much funny in this time, but everyone needs to laugh sometimes. Just don't try to make me laugh or smile, it's practically impossible" I said as I made us vanish from my mother's hall and appear in the living room where we had left the clothes bags from our shopping trip earlier.

"It saddens me to know that you have forgotten how to smile" he said as I took off my cloak and hung it up.

"I have no reason to smile or laugh Thanatos. Plus my sense of humor is quite morbid" I said as I sat down to take off my combat boots. Once I had them off I stood and stretched.

"I hope someday Libitina that I can bring a smile to your face and take the sorrow out of your beautiful eyes" Thanatos whispered in my ear before he slipped into his room and closed the door. I stood there in complete and total shock. Could this man, this god of death that shared my house, be falling for me only after a day? Could I even open myself up to that possibility? I just wasn't sure, so I went to my room and went to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Black Christmas

November passed quickly and before we knew it, Christmas was upon us. The day before Christmas there was a huge party at La Petite Mort, which I took Thanatos to. I was dressed in a black and silver dress and knee-high lace up boots. My hair was clipped in a net like usual, but tonight I had all my piercings in. A crowd of people surrounded me the moment I stepped in the club doors. Thanatos stepped back as the crowd of people surrounded me and led me downstairs. He followed a short distance behind and found himself surrounded by dancing mortals. That was when he spotted her again, his darling Libitina. She was dancing in a shaft of light, her body moving gracefully but also in a sensual way. All Thanatos could do was stand there and watch. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was this beautiful goddess and nobody truly saw her but him. He licked his lips and was about to go over to her when the song ended. Everybody clapped and the stage cleared. A young man came up on stage with a microphone and cleared his throat.

"Now for a special Christmas treat. Singing the HIM song 'Join Me In Death' here is Libitina Macabre" he said and a light followed the goddess to the stage. Thanatos blinked in surprise. Libitina's last name was Macabre? He had to chuckle at the irony. I took the microphone from the man who had introduced me as the band started up the music. I pushed up my glasses, spotted Thanatos in the crowd, and started to sing. I enjoyed singing, it was one of the few things I found truly relaxing. As the song came to an end, a round of applause broke out. I took a little bow and left the stage. The moment I found the darkness, Thanatos was by my side.

"You have an interesting taste in music" he said softly.

"I told you I was morbid" I said as an auburn haired woman came up to us. I smiled softly at her, now this was somebody I knew all too well.

"Awesome singing Libi" she said as she gave me a hug.

"Thank you, it's good to see you Scarlet" I said to her as I hugged the shorter woman back.

"Who is this?" Thanatos asked.

"Oh where are my manners. Thanatos this is my friend Scarlet Rosa Regatti. We've known each other for over four hundred years now. She's a fairy princess. Scarlet, this is Thanatos Grimm. He is a shinigami and a retired grim reaper" I said quietly. I made sure that nobody was near us when I introduced the two, it wasn't common knowledge that my friend was a fairy. The two shook hands.

"I've never met a God of Death before" Scarlet said softly as she let go of the shinigami's hand.

"And I've never met a fairy before, although I have heard rumors about your kind. I see you have a love of the color red" Thanatos said, observing that my friend had donned an all red wardrobe. Scarlet laughed, a musical sound that filled the night.

"Red is the color of passion and life. There is no better color" Scarlet said with a wink before she vanished.

"Grell would love her" Thanatos mused as we stepped outside the club. For the first time in ages I actually laughed. Tears streamed down my face as I held my stomach, my belly shaking as I laughed. Finally I was able to get myself under control.

"Dear Thanatos you just made the understatement of the century" I said chuckling as I wiped a tear off my cheek. I could feel him staring at me and I could also feel that he was very surprised.

"Libitina I have never heard a laugh so beautiful. It is such a shame that not more moves you to share something so breathtaking" he said softly. I stared at him, completely stunned.

"Nobody has said that to me in a very long time" I said quietly. The last person to say that was dead and remembering made my heart hurt. Suddenly I was in his arms, he held me gently and so tenderly that it made my heart jump.

"I just wish I could take your pain away Libitina. Your sorrow breaks my heart" he said in my ear. I froze in his arms, my heart screaming what my mind had tried to deny. The undertaker, the man I called Thanatos Grimm, had fallen in love with me. I just didn't know how to handle it when I didn't know how I felt about him.

"Thanatos your words mean a lot to me. But I don't know how I feel and I am scared" I said.

"Finally you admit your fear. I have sensed it since the moment we met. Oh Libitina there is no need to fear" he said as he held me close. I could feel his heart beating as he held me that close and it made my heart skip a beat.

"I'm not ready to let go" I said as I gently pushed him away. Tears were falling down my face as I wrapped my arms around myself. I just had way too much to lose if I fell now. I looked up and saw a tear slide down his cheek. It hurt me to know that I had made him cry.

"I will be here when you are ready Libitina. Even if it takes forever" he said and then he walked away. I stood there in shock for what seemed like hours. Finally I went home and went to bed. I didn't even hear Thanatos enter the house, my mind was racing in my sleep. The next day was Christmas and I was woken up by a mental call from my mother.

"Daughter get up, get showered, dressed, and eat. Then come to my hall and bring Thanatos. There is a problem I need your help with" Morta said in my head. I sat up quickly and thumped my chest with my fist.

"As you wish mother" I said before I got up. I showered and dressed quickly, ready to go get breakfast. I entered the kitchen and found Thanatos was already up and had made breakfast for me.

"Oh Thanatos thank you for cooking. We need to eat and run unfortunately, my mother mentally told me that she needed us" I said as I picked up the bacon, egg, and cheese bagel he set in front of me. I took a bite and closed my eyes in appreciation.

"I know, your mother woke me up about a half an hour ago. From her tone what we will have to deal with today isn't pleasant" he said.

"I got that feeling from her too. She sounded agitated and not much upsets my mother" I said after I finished my last bite of bagel. I licked my lips in satisfaction.

"It is not everyday I meet a man who can cook, let alone make something that I love even better than I can" I said with a sigh. My departed husband couldn't even boil an egg and the memory was bittersweet.

"I am glad you liked it" Thanatos said as he handed me my cloak. I checked to make sure I had my soul jars and my sword before I put it on.

"It was wonderful, thank you" I said as he grabbed his coat and put it on. Once he had done so, I made us appear in my mother's hall. Grell and Ronald were there, which surprised me.

"Ah good everybody is here. This morning a bunch of children were found by William in a field. They had all been shot in the head, just like the couple that Libitina and Thanatos took care of last month. William went to report this but in the meantime I need the four of you to collect the souls. Some of the souls are mine and some are not, but there are so many of them that it breaks my heart" my mother said. I gasped in surprise. The murder of a child was a great sin to a goddess, we guarded the lives of children above others. Whoever had done this had to pay. I knelt and thumped my fist to my chest, to my surprise Ronald and Thanatos did so as well.

"Yes mother" I said.

"Yes Morta" the three shinigami said. The men came nearer to me and I made us appear in the field. When I saw the scene, I screamed. There were twenty dead children, ages three to six, their bodies crumpled in heaps where they had fallen.

"Juno why?" I cried, my knees buckling. I buried my face in my hands and weft. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up expecting Thanatos. It was Ronald and his face looked a little green.

"Libitina will you be alright?" Ronald asked.

"No I won't be alright Ronald. Children are special to the gods and goddesses, for so many innocent souls to be dead like this is the greatest of sins" I said hotly. Thanatos came over to me and helped me up, pulling me into his arms once I was on my feet. He held me as I cried, until my tears ran dry.

"I am so sorry Libitina. You are not the only one that is upset by this. But we have can save their souls, so we need to get to work" Thanatos said. I gently let him go and nodded.

"You're right Thanatos, let's get this done" I said as I took off my cloak and took out my sword. I heard Grell and Ronald gasp as they saw the black scythe tattoo.

"Grell, Ronald this is not a time for questions. We have a job to do, save the questions for later" Thanatos said to the other two shinigami. I was grateful, I really didn't to answer their questions now. We worked in silence, except for when I showed Grell and Ronald how to get the cinematic records without making more of a mess. It took us an hour to finish gathering all the souls. Once we had finished Ronald turned to me, a questioning look on his face.

"To answer your question Ronald, I am a death maiden as well as a goddess. The black scythe tattoo is the mark of a death maiden" I said as I put my sword in its sheath and put it back in the loop that was in my cloak.

"Oh" Ronald said as I put my cloak back on.

"Thank you for your help" I said as Thanatos took my hand. Before either shinigami could speak, I made us vanish. We appeared in my mother's hall and gave her the souls that were hers. She thanked us and sent us home. We landed in my living room, by my fire-place and my Christmas tree. My heart ached for the children that would never open another Christmas present. I sank to the floor and cried. I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me and hold me and for the first time I didn't want to push Thanatos away. I let him hold me as I mourned for the lives lost. Then he let me go, going over to the tree.

"I have something for you. Merry Christmas Libitina" he said as he handed me a box. I dried my tears and looked at him in amazement. He had gotten me a gift and it touched me.

"Thank you Thanatos, I have something for you too" I said, putting the box down and trying to stand. Thanatos gently put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"I'll find it, is it under the tree?" he asked as he made me sit again.

"Yes it is, towards the back" I said as I picked up my box again. That was when I noticed the box was large and had holes in it. I raised my pierced eyebrow as Thanatos came out from behind the tree. holding a brightly wrapped box. He sat next to me and smiled at me.

"Open it" Thanatos said as he pointed a finger at the box. I chuckled at his eagerness, so I opened the box. Inside sleeping on a bed of newspaper was a tiny black kitten.

"Oh she is beautiful" I said as I gently picked up the black ball of fluff. That was when my shy Morticia came in and jumped into the box.

"Oh look cat in the box" I said as I pointed at Morticia. That was when Thanatos laughed. My aunt Venus had told me his laugh could be insane, but dear goddess this laugh was beautiful. It rang like music in my ears and helped me see beyond the horror we had dealt with earlier.

"Now I think I needed that laugh. Thank you silly kitty and thank you my darling Libitina" he said.

"No Thanatos, thank you. That was what I needed as well" I said giving him a gentle hug.

"Any time my dear" he said softly into my hair. My heart skipped a beat, why did I want to kiss him?! This was starting to confuse the heck out of me.

"I think I am going to name this black ball of fluff you gave me Midnight" I said as I gently let Thanatos go. There was a sad smile on his face, dear goddess why did it pain me to see him like that?

"I think that is a very good name" he said. I pointed to his box.

"Please open it" I said softly. I was a bit scared that he wasn't going to like my gift. But it had come from my heart, a heart that was starting to melt. He opened it and took out a leather book and a key.

"What is the key for?" he asked as he held it up. I swallowed nervously.

"It's a key to the house" I said as I looked at the floor.

"Why are you giving this to me?" he asked.

"Because even after this is over I want you to know that you are welcome here" I said as I stared at the carpet.

"Oh Libitina" he said softly as he raised my head.

"Having you here means a lot to me" I said softly.

"Thank you my dear, this key means a lot to me. What is the book?" he asked.

"The book is a collection of poems I have written. Normally I don't share my writing with anybody. Not even my mother" I said.

"I shall treasure it then because it will give me a glimpse of your heart" he said.

"Be warned, you might not like what you read or see" I said as I backed away from him.

""But I already like what I see" he said before I fled the room. I locked myself in my room and cried myself to sleep. Meanwhile Thanatos fed the two kitties and then sat down in front of the fireplace. He opened the leather book and stared at Libitina's beautiful handwriting for what seemed like hours before he was able to read the first poem. It was called "See My Pain" and the title made him gasp before he started to read.

"See My Pain

You can't open this frozen heart/Don't even try/It's been far too fast/I can't breathe/Close my eyes to stop the fears/That run in front of my eyes/I can't let you in/It's far too soon/You expect to much from me/Before you come any closer/Let me show you my pain.../See these scars upon my wrists/Slashes meant to take my life away/This blood was shed to wash it all down the drain/Long before you spoke my name/I was gone baby gone/What you see/Is just the shell of the woman/I used to be/Run your fingers over me/Touch my scars/See it all through my eyes/Know why I fear you/Understand why I'm not ready.../You came long after my screams died down/In a time where it all seemed fine/Now the ghosts are coming up out of their graves to show you/That some things never die.../Take a look into my eyes/Run your fingers over my wrists/Fell long before you came/So feel the scars of a heart long gone/I'm not the woman I used to be/See my pain..."

"Goddess no" Thanatos whispered, frozen to his chair. Had Libitina really tried to end her life because of her pain? He had to know. I heard a soft knock on my door which woke me up. I yawned.

"Libitina please we need to talk" Thanatos said outside of my door. I got up, put my hair up, and opened my door.

"What is it?" I asked as I stood in my doorway.

"Let me see your wrists" he said. So he had read my poem "See My Pain." I rolled up the sleeves of my nightgown and held out my wrists. The white scars left by the straight razor seemed to glow in the hall light.

"Oh Libitina why did you try to kill yourself?" he asked.

"I will tell you some day Thanatos, but not now. I am very tired and it's been a long day for me" I said. He bent down and gently kissed the top of my head. My heart jumped in surprise.

"I hope I won't have to wait long" he said before he let me go and went to his room. I sat down on my bed and put a hand on my head. I had wanted him to kiss me on the lips. How could I let myself fall and be honest to the memory of the man I loved? Could Thanatos be the one my heart was meant for, the one my aunt had told me about all those years ago. I just didn't know. So I took down my hair and went back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: London Calling

The new year came with a vengeance. Our killer, whoever it was, was stepping up their game. Not long after January began my mother got word that there had been another murder that matched the others, but the killing had taken place in London. So Thanatos and I packed our bags and headed to England. When we got there Thanatos whistled.

"This place has changed much since I was here last" he said.

"How long has it been?" I asked as we settled into an apartment my aunt Laverna had bought about a year ago.

"It's been over a hundred years" he said.

"Why did you leave?" I asked.

"Well I don't know if your aunts told you but over a hundred years ago they meddled in the meeting of two demons, a male and female. Those two demons ended up falling in love and getting married. Then the female demon ended up pregnant with twins. All the other demons wanted to kill the parents to get to the children, but your aunts made them vanish as an apology for messing up their lives. I helped them, so after they left I did as well" he said. I gently slapped my forehead.

"My aunts do not know how to leave anybody alone, especially when it comes to love" I said. Thanatos chuckled.

"I have never met a goddess other than you dear Libitina that doesn't meddle with love" he said.

"Thanatos my feelings about love are this: if it doesn't happen naturally it isn't love at all. If love still does exist it is a magic all of its own, no goddesses needed" I said.

"I couldn't agree with you more" he said as we unpacked our things. We went to gather the fallen souls and clean up the mess. It was a middle-aged couple this time, the man had tried to protect his wife but they both had died despite his best efforts. I snapped my fingers after the souls were in the jars and the jars and the records vanished. Then I spoke.

"Mother I need a break. Please give us three weeks and then we shall return to the states" I said.

"As you wish daughter. I will have Grell and Ronald watch over things until you return" she said.

"Thank you. The cinematic records and the souls are on their way to you right now. Can you please have either Ron or Grell take care of my cats while we are gone?" I asked.

"Of course. Is the spare key where it normally is?" she asked.

"Yes it is" I said.

"Very well, I will have Ronald look after your cats" my mother said. I thanked her before her presence vanished.

"I must admit I need the break as well. I haven't dealt with this much death in a long time" Thanatos said.

"I may be the goddess of corpses and the dead but all of this bothers me" I said as I sat down on the couch.

"It bothers me too. Mostly I detest violence that leads to death, death is supposed to be the beginning of something new. Murder is one of the worst things that any being is capable of in my opinion" he said.

"All the races are capable of so many horrors that it hurts my head" I said. Thanatos came up behind me and started rubbing my forehead with his fingers. I sighed, letting myself relax.

"How does that feel?" he asked.

"Oh it feels great, thank you" I said.

"Can you turn sideways please?" he asked.

"Of course" I said, turning sideways on the couch. I yawned as he sat behind me. Then his hands were gently pressing against my neck and my back. I closed my eyes with a sigh.

"Just relax my dear, our hearts and souls need this break just as much as our bodies do" he said as he gave me the best message of my life. My eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep. Thanatos blinked in surprise at the goddess in his arms. He couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep in his arms. He moved the hair out of his face for just a moment, to get a good look at her. She was truly beautiful, it made his heart race. Such a beautiful being should not have to suffer the way that she did. He vowed that he would do his best to make it right. He moved his hair back into place and then got comfortable, soon he was also asleep. A couple of hours later I awoke up in the arms of the shinigami. I was amazed, it had been so long since I had fallen asleep in the arms of a man. My movement must have woken Thanatos because he yawned and then drew me closer.

"Did you have a good rest?" he asked me as he held me.

"Yes I did thank you. I didn't realize how tired I was" I said.

"Neither did I. After you fell asleep it didn't take me long to doze off as well" he said as he gently let me go. I sat up and gazed at him.

"When are you going to let me see your face?" I asked. I wanted to know what the man who was melting my heart looked like so badly.

"Soon my dear, but you need to trust me with your pain first. Until you can trust me, how can I let you see into my soul?" he asked.

"I understand. Eyes are the window to the soul. While humans can hide their emotions and hearts with lies, we cannot. Our souls are always visible in our eyes" I said as I took off my glasses. I cleaned them with the bottom of my v-neck sweater and then put them back on.

"Yes my dear that is true. I am not sure if you are ready to see my soul" he said quietly.

"Thanatos I just don't want to be hurt again. Something happened to me a long time ago that broke my heart. After it happened mortal men kept trying to use me, to be with me just for the chance at immortality. I know that you wouldn't try to use me, but my heart is so scared that I shut it down. I'm afraid to feel anything that could lead to being heartbroken again" I said. He gently lifted my head and kissed my forehead.

"I would never hurt you on purpose Libitina" he said before he got up and left. I put a hand to my forehead as I stared at the door. I believed him, I really did. He would never hurt me on purpose. I guess it was time for me to start letting go of the fears that held me back. But how could I when I didn't know where to start? Meanwhile Thanatos walked the streets of London, stopping to buy a bunch of yellow tulips in a flower shop. Then he made his way to the one graveyard that had lasted all these years. He put the tulips on the grave of his departed wife Debra Miller and then he sat down on a stone bench.

"Hello Debra it's been a long time. I miss you my dear, but I will not forget the promise I made to you when you died. I have kept my heart open all these years, just waiting for the one who would touch it the way you did. I've met a beautiful woman, well actually she's a goddess. Her name is Libitina and she is amazing. She makes me feel the way you did, but it is different and more complex. There is so much sorrow in her heart and she is afraid to share it. I just wish that she would, I understand better than she thinks I would. I love her Debra and I want to make a life with her. But how can I when she continues to hide her heart from me?" he said, hoping that his dead wife's soul would hear him. She had made him promise something he didn't think would ever come true, not until he met Libitina. Now he wondered if she had known that he would find another love in time, it would be just like Debra to know that and not tell him. She had the sight, but she had told him early on she wasn't allowed to share her visions with him and he had accepted that. He left the graveyard and walked to where is shop had once been. He was amused to find it was run by a funeral director. He returned to the apartment and found Libitina asleep once again. Two weeks went by quickly and on the third week I was ready to return home. My heart was overwhelmed by the feelings that were racing inside. I was ready to tell Thanatos that I was feeling something, but he had to be gentle with me. I just didn't know how to put it into the words that I wanted to say. So we returned to California and got back to living until February came.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Graveyard Dance

When Valentine's Day came my heart froze once again. This day was meant to be a day of love, but to me it was a day of loss. Valentine's Day was the day my husband Antony died, long before the holiday came to be. We had planned to spend the day together, a rare thing for us considering who I was, but instead he died in my arms. I didn't even come out of my room, even though Thanatos had asked me to through my locked door all day. I scribbled a note on a piece of paper and slipped it under my door. I heard Thanatos bend down and pick up the note before I got back into bed. Thanatos unfolded the note and walked barefoot into the kitchen. He was really worried about Libitina. He sat down at the kitchen table and read the note.

"I need to be alone today, I am sorry Thanatos. See you tomorrow. ~Libitina." Thanatos sighed in frustration, he had planned on taking Libitina out on a date today. He spent the day pondering what was wrong until night fell. That was when he heard Libitina's bedroom door open. He peeked out of the kitchen and saw a cloaked Libitina leaving the house. He couldn't take this anymore, he had to follow her and find out why she was pushing him away. He didn't bother putting on shoes as he slipped out of the house. It would be easier to follow Libitina that way. She walked through the woods, following a long path. He hid behind trees as he followed her, not making a sound. Finally the woods ended and the path came to a large graveyard. Thanatos hid behind a large tree as Libitina opened the graveyard gates. He peeked around the tree just as Libitina took off her cloak. He gasped softly as the light from the moon lit up her white hair which was down for the first time in their knowing each other. It went down to her ankles, her feet covered by a pair of old-fashioned Victorian boots. Libitina was in a beautiful black dress and black lace fingerless gloves, a crown of black roses around her head. She sat on a large stone and removed her boots, her bare feet showing scars in the pale light. That was when he noticed the four ghosts and two skeletons. The ghosts were holding ghostly cellos as the skeletons just stood there. Then his darling Libitina spoke.

"Play Apocalyptica's song 'Pray!' please" I said to the ghosts. The ghosts struck up a song that sounded so dark to Thanatos, like an echo of the pain in Libitina's heart. It made his heart ache. Then the goddess of corpses, the goddess that stolen his heart, started to dance. He had seen her dance before but not like this. Her body moved in a frenzy. her movements sharp but beautiful. The skeletons danced behind her until the music slowed a bit. Then one danced around her while the other danced with the goddess, a tender moment until the music sped up again. Then Libitina danced alone again, moving among the graves. She touched each with a pale hand as she moved up the hill. Thanatos followed, hiding behind the trees. He didn't want Libitina to see him. Finally the dance ended at a lone grave, the only stone at the top of the hill. Libitina took off the crown of black roses and placed it on the grave. Then she got down and laid herself on the grave next to the flowers. The night was quiet until she started to cry. I pressed my face to the grave as the tears ran down my face.

"I miss you so much Antony. Nothing is the way it used to be. There is so much changing and I don't know how to feel! Why did they take you from me?" I cried, wailing my pain into the night. I stayed by my husband's grave for a couple of hours and then got my boots and returned home. As soon as Libitina was in the woods, Thanatos went to inspect the grave. On it was carved "Here lies Antony Cavelli, taken far too soon." Thanatos wondered who Antony had been to his beloved Libitina and why she missed him so. It was time he asked Libitina about this. When I got home I put my hair in a braid, slipped into a nightdress, and went to sleep. Not long after I fell asleep Thanatos slipped back into the house. He took off his shirt and slipped into his bed to sleep. A couple of hours later he was jerked awake by screaming. It was coming from Libitina's room. He jumped out of his bed and rushed into his room. I was having a bad dream, thrashing in my bed.

"Antony, Antony!" I cried. Then I felt a gentle shake.

"Libitina wake up! It's Thanatos, I'm here. Libitina my sweet you are having a bad dream" he said. I jolted awake with a cry.

"Oh Thanatos" I cried as I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. I cried until I finally got myself under control. That was when I noticed that Thanatos did not have a shirt on. His chest was strong and hard, but his skin was soft. I couldn't help running my hands over his chest and then I noticed there was a scar that ran across his pecs and one on his right arm. His hair was still in his face, but being in his arms made my heart jump once again.

"Who was he to you Libitina?" Thanatos asked softly. I gazed at him and tried to play dumb.

"Who?" I asked as if I didn't already know.

"Libitina who was Antony?" Thanatos asked me tenderly. I had put this off long enough, it was time to tell Thanatos everything.

"Antony Cavelli was my husband. He was a mortal man and I knew eventually that he would die, but I loved him dearly. Then one February 14th he was stabbed. He ended up dying in my arms. Then I was forced to take his soul to my mother because she had put her mark on it. Because of that I didn't speak to my mother for years" I said softly.

"Oh my sweet Libitina I am so sorry. We have more in common than you know" Thanatos said softly. I glanced up in surprise.

"Oh really?" I asked in curiosity.

"Yes dear girl. I was married to a mortal woman named Debra Miller once. She was the light in my life while I was surrounded by so much death. Then there was an accident and she was mortally injured. I had to reap her soul which is why I retired" he said. I gasped, completely shocked. I had not expected to hear a story that sounded so much like mine.

"Oh Thanatos I am so sorry" I said as a tear ran down my cheek. He held me close, his face pressed into my hair.

"Thank you Libitina. But you don't have to bear your pain alone anymore dear girl. I am here and I understand better than any other could" he whispered into my hair.

"I never thought that I could share what I held inside. Thank you Thanatos, your words mean so much to me. Please stay with me until I fall back asleep" I asked softly before I yawned.

"Of course I will" he said as he gently laid me back into my bed. He laid down beside me and then pulled up the blankets, making sure they were covering us. He pulled me close and within minutes I was asleep in his arms, feeling safe for the first time since my loss. Thanatos blinked in surprise, once again the goddess had fallen asleep in his arms. She had finally trusted him with the pain that she held inside and now he understood why she had built the walls that surrounded her heart. What had happened to her stunned him, he hadn't expected that she had lost a spouse just like he had.

"Sweet girl you will never be alone again" he said before he drew her closer to him and he fell asleep holding the woman he loved.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Love Confession

The next morning I awoke in the arms of the shinigami. I smiled and snuggled him gently. There was so much I wanted to share with Thanatos now that I had let my walls down. My snuggling must have woken him because Thanatos gently pulled me closer to him.

"Will you tell me more about yourself now?" he asked softly. I giggled.

"What would you like to know?" I asked.

"There are so many things I want to know" he said with a grin.

"Pick something and we will go from there" I said.

"Alright then. What is your favorite kind of flower?" he asked. I snickered, amused by the question.

"Well lilies are my favorite, but I also love roses" I said. Thanatos smiled softly.

"Well that is unexpected, but I like that about you. You aren't a typical woman" he said. His comment made me burst out laughing.

"I am most certainly unusual" I said with a wink.

"Well dear that is what makes you who you are. I wouldn't change that" he said softly. I looked away, blushing a light pink.

"Anything else you want to know?" I asked.

"One more thing. What is your favorite stone?" he asked. I raised my eyebrow, wondering why he had asked that.

"Being the daughter of Pluto I was surrounded by earthly riches early on. But my favorite stone is a star sapphire. They are so unique, so rare and beautiful" I said.

"I don't think I've ever seen one" Thanatos said.

"Oh really? Then follow me" I said. We got up and I led him over to my jewelery box. I opened it up and picked up a necklace and handed it to Thanatos. It was a beautiful blue stone with a white star burst in the center surrounded by stirling silver. It had been a present from my aunt Laverna one Christmas a couple of years ago.

"I can see why you like this. It is a rare treasure indeed" he said as he handed me back the necklace.

"Yes it is" I said as I put it back. We spent the rest of the month talking and sharing, opening up to Thanatos was easier now that he knew about Antony. He listened to me as I told him about my scars, comforting me when I needed it. March came quickly and while we had a few cases there was nothing major. Honestly I think both of us were wondering when our serial killer would strike again. Then one day Thanatos came to me, holding a bouquet of stunning pink lilies.

"Would you go out to lunch with me" he asked. I blinked in surprise.

"Of course I will. Where are we going to go?" I asked.

"That is a surprise dear girl" he said with a smile. I laughed as he asked me to cover my eyes and not peak. I did what he asked and I felt us being transported somewhere. Then Thanatos said I could open my eyes. To my surprise we were in a San Fransisco park, a blanket and a picnic basket before us underneath a tulip tree.

"Oh Thanatos this is lovely" I said as I sat down on the blanket.

"I'm glad you like it" he said as he sat down beside me. He opened up the basket and handed me a roast beef, lettuce, and bacon sandwich he had made.

"Have I told you how grateful I am that you like to cook and make things?" I asked as I took a bite of the sandwich. It was delicious and I sighed in appreciation.

"No you haven't" he said as he picked up a sandwich.

"Well I am grateful. While I like to cook, I do appreciate men who can too" I said.

"Could Antony cook?" Thanatos asked.

"Not at all" I said with a giggle.

"Reminds me of another shinigami I used to know. He couldn't cook either" he said.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"He died in a demon attack many years ago" he said.

"Oh I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that demons could kill a shinigami" I said.

"They can. It's one of the few ways we can die" he said.

"What is the other way?" I asked.

"Well the other way we can die is to be stabbed by another shinigami's death scythe" he said. My eyes widened in shock.

"Has that ever happened?" I asked.

"Once, but most of us don't like to talk about it" he said.

"That's understandable" I said.

"Libitina I have something to tell you" he said.

"What is it?" I asked before I took another bite of sandwich.

"After my wife died I thought I would never feel again, but I hoped that someday I could find somebody who I could love. I almost gave up hope until I saw you and heard you sing. You have brought my heart back to life Libitina. I love you" he said quietly but passionately. I gasped softly. I had known deep down in my heart that this was coming, I just hadn't expected it now.

"Oh Thanatos" I said as I embraced him. I just wanted to hold this precious man in my arms, it had been so long since I believed the words he had just spoken. But I knew he meant them, he wasn't one to mess with emotions.

"Please don't tell me how you feel yet. I know that you have only just started to trust me and I don't want to rush you. Besides it is not time for me to show you my face, but it will be soon" he whispered in my ear. I sighed and nodded my head. I would respect his wishes and not speak of my feelings for now.

"Your love means so much to me Thanatos. I will do my best to never hurt you or betray the gift that you have given me" I said as I kissed his cheek right on top of his scar. Truth was that I was almost totally in love with him. One look into his eyes and I would be gone completely. I had already confronted my aunt Venus a week ago asking her if my feelings were a result of her magic. To my surprise her answer was no, my feelings were real. She had promised Thanatos that if we were to fall in love with each other that it would be natural, no meddling from her or any other goddess. I was relieved when she told me that, it was exactly what I had hoped for. I looked at the man who had captured my heart and smiled a real smile.

"I know that you would never hurt me on purpose my dear girl" he said as he hugged me. I loved how he called me his girl, even though we were not technically a couple yet. I felt like I was his and nobody would change that. We ended the date by shopping. Thanatos bought me a whole bag of chocolate covered potato chips, which are my greatest guilty pleasure besides coffee. Then we returned home. We played with my kitten Midnight and then curled up together by the fire. Before we could move, we had fallen asleep in each other's arms once again.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: The Shinigami's Face

April came all too quickly and our killer returned with a vengeance. I got the mental call late one evening, waking me from a deep sleep. I gently woke Thanatos who now slept in my bed, even though we were not being intimate yet.

"Thanatos wake up. My mother has a mess for us to clean up" I said. He woke, yawning and stretching like a sleepy cat.

"Okay my dear. Give me five minutes to shower so I can wake up completely" he said as he sat up. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he left to use the guest bathroom. Still a little groggy myself, I hopped into my shower. I didn't bother to wash my hair, goddesses knew that it would probably just end up a mess again later, so all I did was get myself clean. I was out and halfway dressed, missing only my socks, shoes, and sweater when I heard Thanatos come into the room. I slipped my sweater on quickly and then came out of my closet.

"I'm almost ready" I said as I sat down to put on my socks and boots.

"So am I. Now what is this?" he asked as he pointed at my ankle. He had spotted my thorn wire tattoo which wrapped around my ankle, making a circle.

"One of the other tattoos I told you about in November" I said as I put the sock on.

"How many more do you have that I haven't seen?" he asked.

"Two others" I said as I put the other sock on. Then I slipped my feet into my combat boots and laced them up.

"Where are they?" he asked. I laughed as we left the bedroom.

"If you are a very good shinigami maybe someday soon I will show you" I said coyly. He blinked, his bangs moving with his lashes and then he laughed.

"I promise to be extra good then" he said. I put on my cloak while he put on his coat and then I made us appear at the scene. There were ten dead teenagers, all shot in the head and in pairs. With the exception of the children, all of our cases dealt with couples in love.

"Do you see the pattern?" I asked Thanatos as I got out my sword and my soul jars.

"Yes I do. All but the children were loving couples" he said.

"Correct. Somebody is trying to call my Aunt Venus out" I said. I bent down a seventeen year old girl's soul. Thanatos sighed and put his hand to his head as I looked up from the girl's corpse. He pushed back his silver-gray hair and I finally saw his face. He was so handsome it made my heart skip a beat and I forgot to breathe. His eyes were a vivid shade of yellow/green, so beautiful that the last walls I had around my heart were pierced and broken in an instant.

"My goddess" I whispered as I remembered to breathe. I took an unsteady breath and got up, my knees shaking as I walked over to his side.

"Before you ask me why now it is because you are finally ready" he said.

"I wasn't even thinking of that. I was going to ask you why you hide" I said as I gently touched the scar that ran across and up his face.

"I hide my face because so many who have seen it have uttered false feelings for me. I grew tired of being hurt which is why I wanted you to know me and my heart before you saw my face. I think you can understand why" he said.

"Yes I can my dear. But with that being said, please don't ever hide from me. These eyes hold a beauty that I always want to see" I said before I went to finish our work. My heart was racing, hammering like a drum inside my chest. I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear Thanatos come up behind me. I put my sword down with a sigh and then he was embracing me, holding me close to him.

"You are the first person to see my face and comment on the beauty in my eyes since Debra died. You can't know what that means to me" he said softly. I gazed at his face and smiled.

"I can guess what it means to you, I've been judged by my looks a lot my dear. Thanatos let me tell you that while you are an incredibly handsome man, looks are not what is most important to me. What matters to me is the beauty I see in a person's heart, soul, and mind. If I meet a person that has a loving heart, beautiful soul, and intelligent mind that happens to be handsome, that handsome is just an added bonus. You are the first person that meets all of those since Antony passed away" I said as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Oh Libitina" he whispered before he kissed my hair. Damn it I just wanted him to kiss me for real, these kisses that landed everywhere but my lips were starting to frustrate me. We reluctantly broke apart and gathered our things. Once we made sure we had everything, I made us appear in my mother's hall.

"Mother we've noticed a pattern" I said as I handed her the soul jars.

"What is it?" she asked.

"With every case except the children all the dead were couples. I think someone is trying to call out Aunt Venus" I said.

"Hmmm I'll look into it. By the way Thanatos you can leave the cinematic records here, Ronald said he'd be by to pick them up later" she said.

"Thank him for me when he comes to get them" Thanatos said as he took the ten journals out and laid them on a table.

"I will" she said before Thanatos and I vanished and appeared back in my home.

"I want to tell you something but I need some time to get my head on straight" I said once we appeared in my living room.

"Alright" he said.

"Be right back" I said.

"I'll be waiting" he said. I rushed to my room, took a longer shower and washed my hair, got out and dressed before I went to pick up a pen and paper. Then I wrote everything I had felt down. After I was done I put my hair up and went into the living room with the book.

"I'm not always good at vocalizing my emotions so I wrote this. Please read it" I said giving Thanatos the book I held in my hands. He took it from me very gently.

"Okay my dear" he said. Thanatos sat on the couch as I stood there nervously. He opened the book and read.

"My dearest Thanatos words can't begin to describe the emotions I've held inside. I've been so afraid to feel for so long that I didn't even realize what was going on until the night I told you about Antony. And then tonight I saw your eyes and in them everything you feel for me. I wrote this for you but it will never be enough. ~Libitina." He flipped the page and found a poem and began to read.

"Ode to the Shinigami

You showed your face tonight in the pale moonlight/A face so handsome it stopped me in my tracks/Your scars only add to your allure/So much beauty in the midst of so much death/And those eyes/Goddess those eyes/Such a brilliant shade of green/They pierced all the walls I had carefully built around my heart/I can feel myself falling/When I gaze into them/Why oh why/Did you choose to hide/Those eyes from me?/They move me from the place I have long been frozen in/And all I want now/Is to be by your side/My god of death/The melter of my heart/And my salvation for my new life." Thanatos closed the book and blinked slowly. Could he be wrong about the feelings that he had read in that poem? He needed to make sure he understood what Libitina had meant. He got up, startling me as he came over to my side. He put his hands gently on my chin and lifted my face so I could look into his eyes.

"I need to know Libitina, I have been patient but now I need to hear it. What are your feelings for me?" he asked. Fear caught in my throat, I hadn't spoken these three words in such a long time. But I felt them, I could not deny them anymore. He deserved to know.

"I love you Thanatos" I said softly as my knees shook. Suddenly I was wrapped in his arms as he gently touched my face.

"I've been waiting for you to open your heart to me" he said as a happy tear rolled down his cheek. I gently pressed my lips to it and brushed it away with a kiss.

"I was afraid to" I said softly. He gently put a hand to the cheek I just kissed and looked at me with a question in his eyes. I smiled at him, wondering if he would take my hint. Before I could speak another word, my body was pressed to his and his mouth was on mine. It started off as a shy kiss, but when I pressed myself closer to him expressing my wish to be kissed, it grew more passionate. Heat licked up my body as his soft lips pressed against mine. I responded, my mouth moving against his as my body sang with a wish that I had not felt in a long time. It was like I could not get enough of him and I knew that my heart would forever be his. Finally with much reluctance we broke apart. My body was humming with the heat that one kiss had created and a part of me just didn't want to let him go.

"I love you so much Libitina" he said as he held me gently.

"And I love you Thanatos. For so long I've been empty, dead inside. But you have brought my heart back to life" I said softly.

"I am glad that I could and that the sorrow is gone from your eyes. That shade of blue/green is much too lovely to hold such sadness" he said. I blinked and blushed.

"You are very kind" I said. He laughed as we sat down on the couch and cuddled together.

"It was your sorrow and the beauty in your soul that stole my heart. I wanted to be the one to ease it away and replace it with joy" he said. I blinked in surprise.

"I am glad you were determined to do so, others would have given up after what I put you through" I said quietly.

"Do you remember what I told you in December? I told you that I would be here for you, even if it took forever. I meant every word" he said. I smiled and then I yawned. I looked at him sheepishly, I was exhausted.

"I am glad you meant it. You being here has changed me and I never want to go back to the way things were" I said before I snuggled close and fell asleep in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10 (Warning Lemons!)

Chapter Ten: The Seduction

Love made the month of April fly by. Soon it was May and almost the month anniversary of my confession to Thanatos which also doubled as our anniversary of becoming a couple. Two days before the real day I was chatting with Scarlet online and planning my special night with Thanatos. Being with Thanatos was amazing, he was the sweetest man I ever met, but now I wanted so much more. My plan for our anniversary was simple, I was going to seduce him. I was telling Scarlet my idea when HIM's song "Beautiful" started playing and Thanatos came into the room. He sat there and listened as I finished typing and then turned to him. His eyes glowed as he looked at me and I could have melted.

"What is the name of this song and who sings it?" he asked when the song was almost over. I smiled at him, glad to share something that meant something to me.

"It's called 'Beautiful' and it's by HIM" I said.

"You really like that band don't you?" he asked. I chuckled softly.

"Yes I do. Ville Valo, the lead singer of the band, has an amazing voice and his words have always touched me" I said.

"You will have to let me listen to some more of the music you like sometime. But I can see why you like this song, it is very passionate" he said.

"Yes it is. It is one of my favorite HIM songs. I have the instrumental version on a cd right here, one of my friends wants to sing it to his wife on their wedding day so I bought it to help him practice" I said as I held up the instrumental cd.

"Can I borrow that?" he asked. I raised my pierced eyebrow, wondering just what my beloved was up to.

"Sure" I said and I handed the cd over.

"Thank you" he said before he left the room. I shrugged and then I booked the club for a private party the night of our anniversary. I spent the next day practicing the song I would sing to my love before I would dance to lure him into taking me. Then the night came. I put in all my piercings after I showered, put my hair in a braid, and then went into my closet to see what I had to wear that would make Thanatos look twice. I settled on a black mini skirt and a black lace halter top along with black lace underthings. Then I slipped my bare feet into a pair of three-inch platform black mary jane shoes. I glanced in the mirror and smiled, I was dressed to kill. I put on an opal heart necklace that my mother gave me as a birthday present and then headed out my bedroom door to wait for Thanatos. He was getting dressed in the guest bedroom, which I guess was because he wanted to surprise me. All he knew was that we were going to La Petite Mort tonight, not that we would have the place to ourselves. I was very excited. Meanwhile Thanatos was setting out the clothes that would make Libitina stare. Venus had taken him shopping yesterday, telling him that his wardrobe needed some "sex appeal." Some of the things the love goddess had picked out had shocked him and made him blush. But now as he slipped into a pair of skin-tight black leather pants, he had to chuckle. He was sure that Libitina would be stunned by his transformation. He put on a black button up shirt and black loafers before he checked the mirror to make sure that his hair was out of his face. It was time not to be subtle, he had waited long enough. I heard the door to the guest room open and froze, Thanatos was coming out. I gave one last adjustment to my halter and waited. Then I saw him and I gasped softly. He looked good enough to eat and a heat spread throughout my body. That was when he saw me. His mouth dropped open as he stared at me, unable to speak. I batted my long eyelashes at him and chuckled darkly.

"You act as though you have never seen a woman before" I said with a sensual laugh. He shut his mouth and gave a low whistle.

"I've never seen a woman like you Libitina" Thanatos said as he swallowed. I smiled softly.

"Shall we go then?" I asked.

"Before we do I have a small present for you" he said. That was when I noticed his hands were behind his back, holding something I couldn't see.

"What is it?" I asked in curiosity.

"Open it" he said with a laugh as he handed me the wrapped square. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what was behind the colorful paper.

"Okay" I said before I tore the paper. I gasped and then did what could be taken as a fan girl squeal. Inside the paper was HIM's new cd "Tears On Tape" which I had told him was coming out at the end of April. He had not only remembered, but he had also bought it for me.

"Oh Thanatos thank you. I've wanted this cd since I heard they were working on it" I said as I gave him a hug.

"You're quite welcome. I wanted to give it to you before we left the house" he said.

"Probably a good idea. I don't want to accidentally leave it anywhere before I can listen to it" I said.

"I thought as much" he said with a grin.

"Now are you ready to go?" I asked as I put the cd on a coffee table.

"Yes, I am looking forward to this" he said as he came near me.

"So am I" I said. He suddenly stopped, sniffed, and sighed.

"What is that wonderful smell?" he asked as I made ups appear in a deserted La Petite Mort. I chuckled softly.

"That would be my perfume. It's by Body Fantasies and is their Sexiest Fantasies line. It's called Love Struck and it blends the smells of cherry blossom, peach, and sensual musk" I whispered into his ear. He gulped as he looked into my eyes.

"It makes you smell so intoxicating. I see we have the club to ourselves tonight" he said. I smiled, it was time to let him in on one of my biggest secrets.

"Yes we do. La Petite Mort is actually owned by yours truly. My close friend Ricky who is also the club dj helps me manage it, but it is my baby. Thus the name, La Petite Mort. Since you speak French I think you know what that means" I said.

"Oh yes I know what it means. When your aunt Venus told me the name of the club I had to laugh. But I'm surprised that you own the place and have never told anybody" he said.

"Well the reason for that is strictly personal. I can close the place and hog it when I want to" I said.

"Ah I see. Well I'm glad that we are here alone. I have something for you" he said.

"Okay" I said as I sat down. I made sure the thong I was wearing wasn't showing just as Thanatos got up in stage with a cd player. He plugged it in and hit the power button. Then he picked up the microphone and cleared his throat.

"I usually don't sing but when I heard this song it made me think of you Libitina. Because to me you are so beautiful, not just on the outside but in your heart and soul. So this is for you my love" he said as he pressed the play button and the instrumental version of HIM's "Beautiful" came on. Then he began to sing. I sat there captivated, so touched that he felt that I was as beautiful as this song said. I couldn't believe how beautiful his singing voice was, it was so touching that my heart raced to the sound. When he finished the song tears were streaming down my face. He put the microphone back and came over to me.

"Thank you" I whispered as I wiped a tear away. He smiled at me and kissed my cheek, stopping another tear in its tracks.

"You're welcome" he said before his lips caressed mine. Goddesses his kisses lit a fire in me that I never wanted to go out. The kiss lingered for a while until I broke it as softly as I could. I wish I didn't have to, but this evening wasn't going to go anywhere if we just spent it kissing.

"Please sit, I have a song for you too" I said.

"Okay" he said as he took the chair I had recently vacated. I went to the stage and popped out the cd that was in the cd player, replacing it with a new one. I picked up the microphone and smiled.

"Before I met you Thanatos all I had were my memories. But since I found you I really remember what love is like so tonight I will be singing 'Remember' by Dommin" I said. The instrumental version of the song started and I sang. This song was very special to me, just like Thanatos was. I put every emotion I felt for my beloved shinigami in my voice, letting him know just how much I loved him. As the song finished and I turned off the microphone, Thanatos got up and came over to me and embraced me.

"My sweet girl thank you. That was amazing" he whispered. I smiled as I gently touched his cheek. It was time to spring my trap and to let loose the temptress side of me I usually kept well hidden.

"You're welcome my dear. But please sit, I have one more surprise for you" I said. He smiled and chuckled.

"Okay my sweet" he said as he sat back down. I sat in another chair and took off my shoes, my black toe nails glittering in the stage light. I got up and then dimmed the lights. I could see my shinigami's eyes glowing as I pushed the play button on the cd player. Apocalyptica's song "Romance" started playing and I began to dance. I made each mover slow and sensual, an enticement for the man I loved. The way I moved called attention to the fact that I had curves in all the right places, I wasn't skinny like some mortal woman. I was a goddess and I was proud of who I was. Soon the song ended and I hit the pause button as Thanatos came over to me.

"You my dear are a tease" he whispered into my ear. I smiled softly.

"Oh am I? Would you like to dance with me?" I asked.

"Yes I would but first please put your shoes back on. I'm afraid I haven't danced in a long time and a part of me fears that I will step on your lovely toes" he said seriously. I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

"Of course" I said as I went to put my shoes back on. Once I had them back on my feet I pressed the lay button again and the song "Beyond Time" by Apocalyptica came on.

"May I have this dance?" Thanatos asked me.

"Why would I refuse?" I giggled as I moved closer to him. He took my hand and we waltzed around the empty club, looking into each other's eyes. There was so much love and yearning in his eyes it made me ache.

"I love you" he said softly.

"I love you more than I can possibly ever tell you" I said as the song ended. I paused the cd again and looked at him.

"I think I can tell a little" he said with a smile.

"Can you go with me on the next dance, it isn't going to be anything like what you are used to" I said as I gazed at him.

"Of course" he said. I smiled as I hit the play button and started to move with sensuality. I pressed my body against his as Apocalyptica's song "Hope" began. I turned my back to him and gently slid my body down his. I heard him groan, a sigh filled with longing. I turned again, sliding my body back up and swishing my hips. The song ended and he was panting a bit as I paused the cd again.

"Woman you aren't playing fair" he said.

"Why should I?" I asked.

"Oh ho you want to play naughty then! By all means then my dear, I won't hold back" he said as an even brighter glow coming into his eyes. I laughed, utterly delighted.

"By all means then, show me what you've got" I said as I hit the play button again. The last song "Until It Sleeps" by Apocalyptica came on and he pressed his body against mine, grinding against me sexually. His hands were on my hips and our bodies pressed together, stoking the heat that had been between us since we first touched. What started out as a spark had now turned into a raging fire, but neither one of us wanted to put it out.

"Libitina" he whispered as the cd ended, an urgent plea in his voice.

"Thanatos" I sighed, letting him hear the want in my tone. We stood there gazing at each other for a moment, neither one of us able to move.

"Libitina I need you" he whispered to me. I had waited for those words so I made us appear back in my bedroom and lit the candles I had placed there before we left.

"You can't know how glad I am you said that. I've been waiting to hear them since you kissed me" I whispered as I took of my glasses. I snapped my fingers and a pair of magic contacts floated to me. I snapped my fingers again and they went into my eyes. I blinked and then sighed.

"I didn't want to scare you off my dear. I have desired you for a long time" he said. I blushed a light pink.

"You are a patient man my dear which I am grateful for. I am also grateful that I don't have to wear my glasses and that I still can see you" I said as I gently touched his face. He took my glasses and carefully put them on the bedside table.

"You are so beautiful" he breathed before he kissed me. I moaned as his lips moved passionately against mine. Then he gently broke the kiss.

"Thanatos please" I sighed, my body filled with lust.

"Shh my love" he said as he sat me down on my bed. He bent down and took the shoes off of my feet, gently running a finger over the scars he could now see.

"Tease" I mumbled softly which got a chuckle out of my darling. He sat behind me and started to unbraid my hair. I sighed as I felt his hands run through my silky white strands until it finally tumbled free.

"I never realized until tonight how long your hair was" he sighed as he bent down to sniff it. It smelled like my lily shampoo and my perfume which mixed together perfectly. Then he was untying my halter top. I held up my arms once the ties were undone and he slid it off my head. He gasped when he caught sight of the long jagged scars that ran across my stomach.

"Before you ask what caused these let me tell you that I did it to myself" I said quietly.

"Why?" he asked softly.

"Because I was tired of being used" I said.

"That will never happen again, I won't let it" he said.

"I know" I said. Then he slid off my skirt and I was standing there in nothing but my thong and push up halter bra. He whistled as he took in my curves. Then he pointed to my hip.

"I found another tattoo" he said as he ran a finger over the moon and lily tattoo. I sighed and shivered.

"Yes you did" I said.

"Where is the last one?" he asked.

"On my back" I said as I held up my hair so he could have a look. He went behind me and I felt a finger run over the black swallowtail butterfly tattoo that was on my lower back. Then Thanatos came back around and put his arms around me.

"You are utterly perfect" he whispered. My heart melted as I looked into his eyes.

"It touches me that you think so. Usually my scars and the fact that I refuse to be skinny scare people away" I said.

"I find the fact that you keep your scars alluring. Also after being a shinigami for so long I'd rather be with a woman who has curves instead of one that looks like a skeleton. Even though I do love looking at a good skeleton now and then" he said. I laughed as I kissed him.

"You are one of a kind my love" I said as I gently started to unbutton his shirt. Once it was open he shrugged it off, letting it land on the floor. He drew me closer and our bodies pressed together. I could feel his hardness pressing against me, straining the leather pants. I unbuckled his belt and unzipped the pants. I slid them down his legs and he stepped out of them. His legs were strong and well muscled, I just wanted to run my hands over them. That was when I noticed his underwear. My jaw dropped, dear goddess he was wearing a black g-string! I covered my mouth and blushed a darker shade of pink.

"I see my aunt took you shopping" I said as soon as I could speak again. He chuckled softly.

"Yes she did. But in all honesty I do not know how much longer I can keep this on. It is getting uncomfortable" he said. I snickered.

"I can imagine it is and you don't have to keep it on" I said. His eyes lit up as we kissed again. His arms held me as his hands unbuckled my bra. The garment fell to the floor and I sighed. It felt so good to be out of that thing.

"Mmmm you don't need a push up bra do you" he asked as he ran a finger over my bare breasts.

"No I don't but it's one of my few sexy bras. I usually opt for comfort when it comes to underwear" I said with a sigh.

"I can understand why" he said with a chuckle as he bent down and got on his knees. I wondered for a moment what he was doing until he took one of the strings of my thong in his mouth and pulled the garment down with his teeth. I was naked and my body was tingling with anticipation. Thanatos got back up and kissed me passionately. I melted into his arms, pressing my naked body against him. I slid my hands to his waist and slid my fingers into the string that held the last piece of clothing that separated us. I pulled down the g-string and slid it down his legs. He stepped out of it and gently let me go so I could see all of him. He was pure sculpted perfection, I would have never imagined this was what his clothes hid. He was thin, but not skinny which pleased me. I glanced down to his cock and I gasped, more than a little surprised.

"Venus's blood" I said softly. His hardness had to be ten and a half inches and it was rock hard. I gathered him back into my arms and kissed him passionately. We somehow managed to lay on my bed, kissing as our hands explored each others bodies. Then Thanatos gently broke the kiss, leaving me panting.

"Let me show you how much I love you my dear. It is time to be treated like the goddess that you are" he said.

"By all means my love, show me the stars" I said. He kissed me again and then kissed his way down to my neck. I sighed as he gently nibbled on my neck. Then his mouth was moving down and kisses caressed my chest. He gently blew across my nipples and they hardened in an instant.

"Thanatos" I gasped softly.

"Shhh love, be patient" he said. I nodded before he sucked a hardened nipple into his mouth. I gasped and squirmed, my body pulsing. Thanatos looked up at his love, his goddess, as he ran a hand over her other breast. The smell coming from her had gotten even more intoxicating, he could hardly think. But he wanted this to be special, he wanted it to last. He began kissing down her chest and her stomach. He ran a finger over the scars on her stomach and gently pushed her legs apart. Then he gasped.

"What is it love?" I asked.

"What are these?" he asked as he ran a finger over the scars on the inside of my legs. I looked down at him and smiled gently.

"Razor scars" I said.

"Mmm why here?" he asked.

"Because it kept the wrong kind of men away" I said.

"The scars are beautiful, but I wish that you hadn't needed to deal with the kind of people who use others" he said before he kissed my pussy.

"Oh!" I cried out softly before my eyes closed and I sighed in pleasure. Then I felt a lick and my back arched as I moaned loudly. The kisses and gentle licks kept coming until I was on the brink of an orgasm. Then he was back up beside me and kissing my lips. I moaned and pushed him down to the bed.

"What did I do to cause this?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"You are such a tease love" I said.

"Not a tease my love, I just wanted to give you what you deserve" he said.

"Well my dear I think you deserve some of what you gave me" I said before I kissed him passionately. He sighed as I trailed my kisses down his neck. I kissed and gently nibbled the scar along his neck. Then I ran my tongue ring over it gently, seeing how he would react. He gasped as the cold metal touched his skin. I smirked as I ran my tongue down his chest, kissing him also. The his hardness was before me and all I could do for a moment was stare. I blew on it gently and his body twitched. Then I kissed it. Goddess his skin was soft, but his cock was so hard. My tongue slipped out and I licked it. My eyes closed as I licked, my body revving. Finally I had to stop, my body was aching to have the man I loved inside of me. Thanatos was panting when I returned to his side.

"Mmm I think I have learned my lesson" he said as he gathered me into his arms.

"Then take me my love" I said softly before we kissed. He gently pulled me up and pushed himself inside of me. I moaned as I wrapped my legs around him. We moved together slowly, making love to each other was like a discovery of its own. As we kissed our passion built as our bodies moved in time. Then we both cried out as we came together, our bodies shuttering as our passion overflowed. I clung to Thanatos as he gently laid us down, pulling the sheets up over us before we hit the mattress. I snapped my fingers, making the candles go out.

"I love you" he said softly as he kissed me.

"I love you too. Thanatos believe me when I say that making love has never been like that for me before" I said.

"I must admit that what we just did was new to me as well. You bring a spice to life that is irresistible" he said. I smiled softly. I snuggled in his arms as he made sure the sheet was wrapped around us.

"Mmm so do you love" I said before I fell asleep in his arms. A couple of hours later I was awoken by kisses. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was about three in the morning, which was the middle of the night to me. I gently opened my eyes and saw a glowing green light coming from my love's eyes.

"Sorry" he whispered with no hint of remorse.

"Mmmm love it's late" I said with a slight yawn.

"I know sweetheart, but I just can't help myself" he said. I chuckled.

"Give me a second to wake up my love. I'm a bit of a klutz when I'm tired" I said.

"Oh really?" he asked as he pulled me close.

"Yes really. The last time I tried to walk right after I woke up, I nearly tripped over Morticia" I said as I rubbed my eyes. He chuckled.

"I actually find that charming, although I imagine that you scared your cat pretty badly" he said. I laughed softly.

"Yes poor Morticia stopped coming into my room right after I woke up for about a month. I'm glad that my being myself charms you so" I said before we kissed again. My mind slowly awoke as our lips pressed together. Then I had a wicked idea that got me fully alert. I let my eyes glow for the first time in ages, now the light from my love's eyes and the light from my eyes softly lit up the room. Thanatos gasped as I slid my tongue into his mouth. Our kiss grew hotter and I let one of my hands wander down to his crotch. My lover was hard once again and my body was craving a release from the heat it held inside. I pushed my body against Thanatos and sighed.

"Awake now?" he asked.

"Yes my love I am awake now. And I'll be happy to indulge you" I whispered into his eyes.

"And I will be happy to take you" he whispered back to me. He gently pushed me down, our mouths locking together in the most passionate of kisses. Very gently my sweet angel of death let his mouth wander from my lips to my neck. I gently ran my hand through his hair as his mouth found one of my turn on spots. I sighed as he kissed and licked it, my body warming. Then I felt a very gentle bite.

"Vesta's fire you are wicked Thanatos!" I cried as his teeth grazed my skin. He chuckled and looked up into my eyes.

"Only for you my darling. I can't imagine sharing myself like this with anybody but you Libitina" he said. My heart jumped as I gently touched his cheek.

"I feel the same way about you my love" I said softly as I fingered the braid in his silver/gray hair.

"That means a lot to me" he said before he left a trail of kisses down my neck to my chest. He looked up at me, a wicked glint in his beautiful eyes before he took one of my hardened nipples into his mouth. I groaned, the feeling inside me deliciously sweet yet also painful.

"Thanatos" I whispered in need as he kissed down my belly to my thighs. I felt a gentle laugh caress the inside of my legs.

"Mmm my goddess is getting impatient" he said as he laughed.

"Yes I am" I said breathing heavily.

"Mmm I think I shall test you no longer then" he said as he gently kissed my clit. My body froze, washed in a sensation I had never felt. Then I felt a lick, a tongue gently pushing at the entrance to my most secret of places. My eyes changed color, glowing a brilliant emerald as the tongue found its way inside my pussy. I gasped and moaned, my dear goddess why hadn't my aunt not told me that passion could be like this, Then a gentle bite to my clit brought me back and I came hard with a cry.

"Thanatos!" I panted as he came back up to my side. His smile was wicked, but it sent a chill of desire through me.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked as he ran a hand through my hair.

"Yes I did my dear but you have a wicked mouth" I said with a flirtatious tone. He laughed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have never done that before" he said.

"Could have fooled me" I said. He laughed softly.

"Hehehe. Darling your eyes are green" he whispered in surprise as he looked at me. I chuckled softly.

"Yes they change color with my mood. They go from midnight blue when I'm really mad to an emerald-green when I am really happy" I said. I saw him smile in the light that our eyes were giving off.

"One more of the reasons why I think you are stunning" he said as I gently pushed him down to my silver sheets.

"You're going to give me an ego complex" I said with a giggle before I kissed him. His arms wrapped around me as I gently pushed against him, my mind blocking out everything except for him. I started with the scar on his face, gently running a long black nail over it before I put my lips to it. His eyes closed for one moment as I kissed it, my heart treasured the beauty that I saw not only in his face but also in his heart. This precious handsome man was mine, I couldn't believe how lucky I was.

"Libitina" he whispered as my lips moved over his scar. I smiled softly.

"You take my breath away Thanatos. I am so lucky to have you" I said before I gently kissed his neck. Thanatos opened his eyes and looked at the goddess kissing him. She had just told him that she considered herself lucky to have him. His love for her overwhelmed him, but he didn't mind. Now that he had earned her trust, respect, and love he was never going to let her go.

"It is I who is the lucky one" he said gently. I looked up into his eyes and gently touched his cheek.

"I love you" I said before I kissed the scar on his arm.

"And I love you" he whispered as he ran a hand through my hair. I sighed happily as I kissed my way over to the scar on his chest. I gently kissed it, my mouth moving slowly over the thin white line. I heard Thanatos sigh as he twitched. I kissed my way further down until my lips were on his rock hard cock. He moaned, his fingers running over my shoulders. I kissed his cock lovingly, gently sucking him into my mouth. I sucked and kissed until I felt my body couldn't take anymore. I pushed myself up, gently pushing my love down with one hand. I slid my body on his, slipping myself over his rock hard shaft and gasping at how well he filled my aching pussy. Then I began to ride him, my body pulsing in time with my heart.

"Surprise" I whispered softly.

"Libitina" he groaned as his fingers ran over my breasts. I could hear the want in his voice and my pussy tightened at the need in it, it was unlike anything I had ever heard. I gently lowered my head to his face and our lips locked in a passionate kiss. We were panting and moaning as we made love until finally the most intense orgasm overcame us at the same moment. We cried out together, our joy echoed in the dark room. I slid off my love and Thanatos pulled me and the sheets down next to him as we kissed again.

"Now that is the only good reason to wake up so early" I said with a sigh.

"I agree. Oh Libitina I don't think I will ever be able to tell you what you have done to me" he said. I smiled as I snuggled with him, taking out the contacts, and putting them in the case on the bedside table.

"Ah but my love I know. You have done the same for me. You have set me free" I said before I closed my eyes and fell asleep in his strong, warm embrace. Several hours later I was awakened by whispering.

"Well it is about time" one feminine voice whispered. It took my mind a moment to place the voice and identify it as my Aunt Venus.

"I agree, she has mourned for too long. I hated what happened to Antony, but mortals die. It is good to see her happy and with someone she can't lose" another feminine voice whispered back. My eyes shot open, recognizing my mother's voice instantly. I pulled the sheet around myself and Thanatos as he started to stir. I sat up, glaring at the two women.

"For the love of Julius Caesar what are the two of you doing here?" I asked hotly. My tone must have woken Thanatos because he sat up and wrapped me in his arms protectively. His face was not hidden and both my mother and aunt were staring at the handsome man I loved.

"Well chosen dear niece. Even I had no idea what a catch you had here" Venus said. I glared at her, sometimes she could be so superficial.

"I didn't fall in love with him because his looks aunt. I fell for the beauty I saw in his soul. His outer beauty is just a bonus to me. But that does not answer my question. Why are the two of you here?" I asked as calmly as I could. My mother smiled and gestured my slightly indignant aunt back. Venus sat in my computer chair with a huff and turned away.

"My dear daughter we are here to warn you. Your guess about the killer was correct, he is trying to call your aunt out. His name is Marcus Devante and he feels that your aunt spurned his love. So in order to get back at her he is killing people in love. The reason why he killed the children is still unknown. But he has gotten wind that a certain goddess, mainly you my dear, has finally fallen in love. He has also gotten wind that you are Venus's niece. He is going to come after you both, so be alert and be aware" my mother said. My eyes widened and I nodded.

"Thank you for telling us. We shall be prepared" I said. The two goddesses nodded and vanished. Thanatos pulled me closer and gently kissed my forehead.

"He will not harm you my dear" he said softly. I gazed into his beautiful eyes and smiled.

"Nor will he harm you. But we must be on our guard now love, we have to be vigilant" I said. He nodded in agreement.

"I know, but I will not let the threat he poses keep us apart. It took me long enough to win your heart" he said. I chuckled.

"Alright my love, We will continue living as we watch and wait. When we catch him, this monster, I want to have the pleasure of tearing his soul apart" I said as I lover, mentally preparing myself for the war ahead.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Calm Before The Storm

Thanatos and I spent the next two weeks in each other's company, hardly ever leaving each other. We were vigilant to the point of being paranoid. Even William commented on our changed behavior.

"I know that both of you are in love and that your work isn't suffering from it. While I do not find your relationship to be in the best interest of your work, your paranoia isn't helping either. Just be efficient, do your job well, and don't let the fluff get in the way" William said. I glared at the stuffy shinigami and sighed.

"William you seriously need a girlfriend and need to get laid" I said without a second thought. Grell happened to overhear me and the crimson shinigami's mouth fell open.

"Oooo snap Will you just got told!" Grell called out, making me laugh. Dear goddess Grell was funny! Sure he acted like a girl, talked like a girl, hell he referred to himself as a girl but I liked the man. He reminded me of my friend Scarlet in so many ways. I went over to him and held a hand out as a flabbergasted William stared.

"Friends?" I asked with a smile. Grell's face brightened and he smiled showing off his shark like teeth.

"Of course darling. A girl can never have too many friends" he said as he took my hand. Then he proceeded to do something I haven't done in over two hundred years. He grabbed my other hand and then jumped up and down, like a little girl who has just gotten the toy she asked her daddy for. I had to giggle at his enthusiasm.

"You remind me so much of somebody else I know" I said when he stopped jumping.

"Darling I am one of a kind" he said with a feminine huff.

"I understand and totally agree" I said holding my hands up. He smiled and patted my shoulder.

"You're forgiven. So what's it like to be in love?" he sighed. I glanced over at Thanatos, who smiled and nodded. We had agreed not to talk about our love in public without talking about it first, just for safety reasons. Since my beloved had nodded, that meant he thought it was ok to talk about our relationship at this moment.

"Well Grell in all honesty this is not the first time I have loved. The first time was a long time ago, back in the Roman empire. His name was Antony and he was a mortal man. He became my husband and I loved him dearly until he died in my arms. After he passed I shut down my heart and I refused to feel a thing. I was existing that way when I met Thanatos. Thanatos broke the walls around my heart and brought me back to life. That is what love is to me. The passion I feel every time I look into his eyes that makes me feel alive" I said. Grell's eyes were filled with tears as he hugged me.

"I am so sorry for your loss, but you have gained so much darling" he said as he nodded at Thanatos.

"Sometimes you have to lose something to gain something even better. I didn't understand that until I found myself falling for Thanatos" I said with a soft smile.

"So romantic" Grell sighed.

"You've loved before haven't you? You lost didn't you?" I asked as I put a hand softly on his shoulder.

"Yes, you are quite right I did. I haven't seen my Bassy in over one hundred years. He chose a female demon named Rose who beat me in a duel. Her prize was that I not bother them again" Grell said with a sigh.

"A male demon?" I asked, trying to understand.

"I'm bi-sexual darling and Sebastian was so handsome" he gushed.

"Oh that explains a lot" I said. Yet again Grell reminded me of Scarlet. When I first met Scarlet it had been taboo to be bi-sexual. But she had told me that she was bi anyway. I had always excepted her, even though I favored men in my bed.

"Darling I'm not shy about telling people now that it isn't considered to be wrong except by certain people" he said.

"Love comes in all forms, it doesn't have to be with the opposite sex" I said. I glanced William out of the corner of my eye and he was having a coughing fit. Apparently he disagreed with me. I could care less in all honesty.

"I didn't think you would understand" Grell gushed again, giving me another hug.

"I don't judge Grell, even though I am not bi myself. I've been judged and know how much it can hurt. We; be we god, goddess, shinigami, demon, fairy, shape shifter, or just plain human; cannot help who we love. Our hearts dictate that. One never tells the heart what to do, it wouldn't listen anyway" I said with a small smile.

"Now there is a piece of truth if I have ever heard one" said Ronald who had been in the room but up until now had remained silent.

"I'm guessing you tried it once and it didn't work. Is that right Ronald?" I asked softly.

"You would be correct. Oh and Libitina just call me Ron. It's been a long time since anybody called me Ronald besides William-senpai" Ron said with a boyish grin.

"Okay then Ron. Only one person calls me by a nickname and I don't have the heart to tell her that I hate it. We've been friends for over four hundred years" I said.

"Would that be your fairy friend that I met at La Petite Mort?" Thanatos asked.

"Yep that's her" I said with a giggle.

"Fairies actually exist?" Grell asked in wonder.

"Yes they do and they are immortal. You can wound them, but you can't kill them. They are all quite beautiful which is why you need to be careful around them. They like to play games that can be quite cruel" I said. Honesty about the fay in my opinion was the best way of introducing their existence to another. I've seen many a being be hurt by fay tricks. Prior knowledge about said tricks had saved a demi-goddess I knew, but also turned her into a mess. Some people just didn't cope well with the fey.

"I'd love to meet one someday, but thank you for the advice" Grell said. My eyes clouded as he finished speaking.

"Keep it in mind. I have a feeling you may need my words in the future. Be forwarned all of you, there is a road of destruction ahead. The threat to us will steal something very precious after shedding many mortal lives. But do not despair for the threat will come to a bitter end, bringing joy and changing lives" I said as my eyes cleared. I stumbled into a chair and held my head.

"What was that?" Grell asked in concern. I blinked in confusion.

"Did I say something?" I asked.

"Um yeah, you don't remember?" asked Ron. I groaned.

"No I don't. I hate when that happens. Sometimes my aunt hijacks my body to speak a prophecy since she doesn't like to be seen that often. It's only happened twice before but it always leaves me dizzy" I said.

"Which aunt?" Grell asked before William could.

"My Aunt Fortuna, goddess of fortune and luck. Sometimes she can see fate and guide it, but as a goddess she cannot change it. Thus the prophecy. She expects us to do her dirty work" I said with a sigh.

"Unfortunately a lot of the world expects others to do their dirty work" Thanatos said as he came over to me. He handed me two Advil and a cup of water and I sighed gratefully.

"Thank you" I said before I took the pain killers.

"You're welcome" Thanatos said with a smile. Once I had taken them the pain in my head started to ease and I sighed in relief.

"Say Grell and Ron would you like to come over for dinner? But you have to promise to play nice, my uncle Mercury recently played a trick on us during dinner and Thanatos can vouch for how upset I get when somebody messes with me when I cook" I said with a smirk.

"I can and let me tell you what my darling Libitina did surprised even me. She kicked her uncle out of the house and went on to lecture his wife about keeping him in line" Thanatos said.

"Sure I'd love to come and I'll behave" Ron said with a grin.

"I will come and behave as well as long as he promises no bizarre dolls" Grell said pointing at Thanatos. I looked at Thanatos and he smile mischievously.

"I promise that there will be no bizarre dolls. To be honest Grell I haven't done that since that forsaken ship sank. I learned my lesson" Thanatos said.

"Okay then I will come" Grell said as Thanatos turned to me.

"I'll tell you over dinner love" Thanatos said as he gave me a kiss.

"Alright but I want the story and I mean all of it" I said with a pout. If there was one thing I wasn't it was a patient woman. I wasn't very good at waiting. My beloved knew that all too well because he winked at me as he took my hand.

"We will see you tonight then. I will come and fetch the both of you once dinner is ready" Thanatos said.

"See you both tonight. Oh Thanatos we need to stop at the store, there are a couple of items I'll be needing" I said. Thanatos let off a bark of laughter which made me grin. Then we vanished from the room.

"I'm just glad that they have stopped being paranoid. We don't need them to be edgy and thus get sloppy while we hunt down this criminal" William said before he also vanished, leaving Grell and Ron staring at each other in disbelief. Later as the day turned into evening, Thanatos came and led Grell and Ron back to my house as I finished up dinner. I had made leg of lamb, mashed potatoes, baked carrots, and tiramisu for dessert. I was also serving a red wine that my Uncle Bacchus was famous for. I heard my front door creak open and Grell's unmistakable feminine tone came wafting into my kitchen.

"Come in and wash up. Dinner is almost ready" I called as I checked the oven.

"Where is the bathroom?" called Ron.

"Thanatos will show you" I called as I turned the oven off. I slipped on my oven mitts and took the lamb out, putting it on a hot plate which was on the dining room table. I repeated the process with the potatoes and the carrots. By the time I had the wine open all three men were sitting at the table staring at the food. I laughed as I poured the wine and then sat down next to Thanatos.

"This looks too good to eat" Ron said.

"Well it is meant to be eaten so by all means dig in" I said as I waved a hand. Everybody helped themselves and started eating.

"You have outdone yourself my dear" Thanatos said half way through the meal.

"Thank you" I said with a smile.

"I haven't eaten this well since I snuck some of Bassy's cooking" Grell said with a sigh.

"I wasn't aware that demons could cook since they don't eat human food" I said.

"Most can't cook darling. I think that brat Earl Ciel Phantomhive made Bassy learn since Bassy was posing as a human and his butler" Grell said with a frown.

"Was that who the demon was contracted to?" I asked. I refused to call any demon by a name. It had gotten many a god and goddess into deep trouble in the past.

"Yes dearie. Bassy was contracted to Ciel. It's still a mystery how Ciel died" Grell said which made Thanatos cough.

"Are you okay?" I asked my lover.

"Yes I'm fine" Thanatos said as he gave me a look that said he'd tell me later what the problem was. I decided to drop it for now.

"Alright then. Tell me what this bizarre dolls incident was about" I said with a grin. I wasn't going to let my love get away with not telling me something interesting now, plus he had promised. Thanatos groaned, gently smacking his head.

"Well a long time ago I got curious about how a soul worked in a living human and what would happen to a corpse if it was given a manipulated cinematic record. So I did an experiment on a bunch of corpses. They came back to life, but craved the souls of the living. They attacked the living, trying to consume their souls. I called them bizarre dolls. To be honest I never want to repeat that incident. It made me a wanted man for several years" Thanatos said. I stared at him and then started laughing, Grell's mouth fell open and Ron blinked in surprise.

"What is so funny?" Ron asked.

"You do remember what I am the goddess of right? I am the goddess of corpses and the dead. I have the ability to see and raise ghosts and dead bodies. I am the goddess of funerals as well. I watch over dead bodies until they are laid to rest" I said.

"So what?" Grell asked.

"Well after my husband Antony died I got pretty upset. I raised a bunch of skeletons, fresh corpses, and ghosts and went on a month rampage through Rome. The poor Romans had to petition me, my mother, and my father to calm me before I stopped. Many people died in the process. I regret it now of course, but what my beloved here did is nothing compared to that" I said as I patted Thanatos on the leg.

"You two are made for each other" Ron said as he blinked, sitting back in his chair.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Thanatos asked. I shrugged.

"I didn't want you to think ill of me" I said softly.

"That would never happen" Thanatos said as he gave me a kiss.

"Um can we help with the dishes?" Ron asked as he blushed. I giggled softly.

"Yes you can. Dessert is in the kitchen" I said before I turned back and gazed into my lover's eyes.

"Your past means nothing to me. All of it has made you into the woman I love" Thanatos said as he held me close. I could hear the clatter of dishes going into the dishwasher, but I ignored it for the man in front of me.

"I feel the same way Thanatos. What you have done doesn't matter to me. I love you for who you are and the beauty that I see in here" I said as I tapped his chest. I could feel his heart beating under my hand and I knew just how lucky I was to have him. He took my hand and kissed it.

"I can't begin to tell you how special you are to me" he said.

"And I can't tell you that either. But we should go help Ron and Grell. I don't want Grell hogging all the tiramisu since it took a while to make" I said. So we walked into the kitchen and served dessert. We talked for a couple of hours before Ron and Grell left. Thanatos and I put away the leftovers in silence and then went to sit together on the back porch.

"So what happened to the person that the demon was contracted to?" I asked.

"Ciel had a fiancé named Elizabeth. When Ciel was fourteen when Elizabeth started to really worry about his happiness. She made a contract with a female demon she named Rose. Rose's contract was to protect Elizabeth and Ciel until Elizabeth could make Ciel happy again. Elizabeth managed to complete her task, making Ciel happy again and thus ending her contract which would lead to her death. When Ciel found out what his love had done, he ordered Sebastian to stop Rose from claiming Elizabeth's soul. Sebastian told Ciel he could not interfere with another contract so Ciel told him that their contract was complete. Sebastian and Rose took their souls and Ciel and Elizabeth died in each other's arms" Thanatos said.

"How old were they when they died?" I asked.

"Ciel was fifteen and Elizabeth was sixteen" he said.

"How sad" I said.

"It was. I helped Sebastian and Rose leave England after their masters died" he said.

"Ah so they were the demonic couple you aided" I said.

"Yes they were. Rose had the oddest sense of humor, but she made me laugh" he said.

"Should I be jealous?" I asked teasingly.

"Not at all my dear. You make me happy in a way that no other has since my wife died" he said. I smiled gently at him.

"I know, I was just teasing. Now it's been a long day, I suggest we get some sleep my dear" I said.

"I agree, Reliving old memories is quite exhausting" he said. Together we went inside and proceeded to bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: The End of Marcus Devante

When I awoke the next morning I wasn't beside Thanatos. I blinked in panic, looking around me. I was in a cave but I wasn't alone. There was another woman in the cave with me. She was a blonde with grey eyes, very pretty except that she had bruises all over her body. I sat up and rubbed my head wondering how I got here. Maybe there had been something in the wine.

"Where are we?" I asked softly.

"Somewhere near Death Valley" the woman said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Portia. I was Marcus Devante's fiancé until he came back from Iraq about a year ago. He had changed and I feared for my safety. So I left him. He kidnapped me about six months ago when he found out I was pregnant with my new boyfriend's baby. I had a miscarriage about a week ago" Portia said as a tear ran down her face. So that explained the why Marcus had killed the children, he had been jealous that he could not be the father of Portia's child.

"You poor woman. My name is Libitina" I said.

"As in the goddess of corpses, funerals, and the dead?" she asked.

"Yes that would be me. I am surprised that you have heard of me. Not many have in the recent years" I said.

"Fortuna told me yesterday that Marcus would take you" she said.

"Oi my aunt should have warned me. So you are a seer. Not many women have that talent these days" I said.

"Yes I can see things most cannot because Fortuna blessed me. She's your aunt?" Portia asked.

"Yes Fortuna is my aunt. Now do you know where Marcus is?" I asked.

"He's out leaving Venus, your mother, and your man a message they can't ignore" she said.

"Oh no. Thanatos" I whispered as held my head in my hands. My beloved would be worried sick when he awoke. Thanatos moaned as he rolled over in bed. He reached out, expecting to touch his beloved, but found her spot in the bed empty. He shot up, it was not like his love to be out of bed before him, they were both late sleepers. He got out of bed and searched the house, not finding a trace of her.

"Morta we have a situation. Your daughter, the woman I love, is missing" he said ready to curse under his breath. He slipped on a shirt and pants before Morta appeared in the room, her face pale.

"I know Thanatos. Marcus just left us a grizzly present and a bloody note. Forty people are dead and in their blood he wrote 'I have your daughter. She is my prisoner along with another woman. I intend on killing them both. Come and get me if you dare.' You need to find him and kill him Thanatos, before he hurts Libitina" Morta said. He slipped on his shoes and swore.

"For the love of Anubis he shall pay. I will go find Libitina and return her safely home. In the meantime why don't you tell Grell and Ron, they will help clean up the dead" Thanatos said.

"I will. Thank you Thanatos. My sister Fortuna said that you can find my daughter somewhere near Death Valley. She said she will send you visions to guide you" Morta said

"I promise to be as fast as possible. I love Libitina and will not let any harm come to her" Thanatos said. He grabbed his scythe and left the room. Once he was out the door his mind was flooded with images which lead him to a desolate place. He saw a cave and a voice spoke softly.

"My niece and a future death maiden are in that cave with Marcus. Save my niece, save my servant. My fortune will shine on you" the voice said.

"Fortuna?" Thanatos asked.

"Yes it is I. Go now, stop the hell that Marcus has created" Fortuna said.

"Thank you Fortuna" he said as he entered the cave. Over all it had taken a week to get here and Thanatos was pretty pissed.

"Calm yourself, you need to focus" Fortuna said in his mind. He got his anger in check and slowly looked around.

"Come out traitor to mortals and the divine" he yelled. Marcus came out of the shadows, a crazed look on his face.

"Ah so the lover of the corpse goddess has come to get her back. You will have to carve me up before you can even think of getting to her" Marcus said.

"So be it" Thanatos said as he held his scythe. Marcus drew a gun and fired it. Thanatos blocked the bullet with his blade and slashed through Marcus's arm, cutting it clean off. Marcus fell to the ground screaming.

"You bastard" Marcus swore up at Thanatos.

"I will take my time killing you. You threatened to kill the one thing that means something for that you have to pay" Thanatos said. A crazy light filled his eyes as he came close to the killer. Then he went to work. Four days later Marcus was dead and Thanatos was covered in blood.

"Thank you" Fortuna whispered in his mind.

"You're welcome" he whispered

"Call to her, she will hear you" Fortuna said softly before her presence vanished.

"Libitina please answer me" he called out. I sat up startled to hear a voice that sounded just like my shinigami's.

"Thanatos?" I called as I took Portia's hand.

"Yes dear girl. Where are you?" he asked.

"In the furthest back cave. We are trapped by some sort of magic. You should call the to Trivia the goddess of magic, I think she will be the only one that can break this trap" I said.

"Alright. I shall be with you shortly" he said. He mentally called to Trivia who came as soon as Thanatos explained the situation. Together they made their way to the two trapped women. I glanced up the moment I heart movement by the door. Thanatos and Trivia appeared and I could hardly believe my eyes. I stared at my beloved as Trivia said a few words that shattered the spell around where Portia and I were. We were free at last. I stood and walked shakily to Thanatos. Once I got to him I embraced him, holding my love tightly.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you. Even if you are covered in dried blood" I said as I looked him over. There were even specks of blood in his silver/gray hair and I knew that there had been quite a battle fought just to get me back.

"As I am happy to see you unharmed" he mused softly in my ear.

"Where is Marcus?" asked Portia.

"Dead" Thanatos said calmly.

"Ah thank Fortuna" Portia sighed.

"Your goddess has quite a future planned for you" Thanatos said to Portia.

"Oh I am not surprised. The day I started serving her she told me that I was destined for something. My name is Portia, Libitina has told me all about you" she said as she held a hand out to my love.

"Nice to meet you Portia. I am a little grateful that Libitina had somebody to talk to even though I do not approve out what Marcus did" Thanatos said. That was when Aunt Fortuna dropped me a mental note. I stared at the woman who I had spent the last week and four days with.

"My aunt just let me know that you are to be a death maiden. You are going to serve Morta and Fortuna at the same time" I said softly.

"I can't say that I am surprised. I have always known that my life would be in the service of the goddesses. Morta is the goddess of death right?" Portia asked.

"Yes Morta is the goddess of death. She is also my mother" I said. Portia blinked in surprise.

"I hate to ask, but I can't help but wonder who your father is" she whispered. I chuckled.

"My father is Pluto" I said.

"I shouldn't have asked" she said as she shook her head.

"It's not a big deal to me. I'm not close to my father, he was never around much. Seems like I'm going to be busy for a while, even though this mess is over" I said.

"May I ask why?" Portia asked.

"Of course, you would have found out soon anyway. Besides being a goddess I am the leader and trainer of the my mother's death maidens. I have the pleasure of teaching you how to do your new job" I said.

"How come that doesn't surprise me" Portia said. Thanatos and I laughed as we left the cave. We led Portia to Fortuna's well where we met my cousin Providentia. She told us that she would escort Portia to the hall of the goddesses and get her safely settled. Thanatos and I thanked her and then we went home to shower and rest.


	13. Chapter 13 (Warning Lemons!)

Chapter Thirteen: The Retirement

Training Portia to do her job as a death maiden took me a month. I taught her how to spot other women who could become death maidens, how to hunt rogue souls, and how to see what kind of the a soul that we were sent after deserved. One day after Portia's lessons were finished, I decided to talk to Thanatos about something that had been on my mind since my capture.

"Thanatos can we talk for a moment?" I called out as soon as I entered the house.

"Of course dear girl" he called out. I followed the sound of his voice and found him sitting in my blue arm-chair in the living room. I sat in his lap, curling up in his arms.

"The ordeal with Marcus, my kidnapping, and Portia's training has tired me beyond belief. Up until I met you Thanatos being a death maiden was all I had besides managing La Petite Mort. Now all I want to do is relax, run my club, and spend time with you" I said.

"Hmm sounds like you are talking retirement" he said.

"Yes my dear, I am. I am tired of having to take the souls of the dead and having to judge and take the souls of those marked for death. It's time to put my sword away. The question is my dear will you put your scythe away with my sword?" I asked.

"I was planning to tell William that should not call on me again after this case with Marcus was done. But I intend on keeping my scythe as I am quite attached to it. I smuggled it out with me when I retired" he said. I giggled.

"How did you manage that?" I asked.

"I hid it in my coat" he said.

"I'm guessing that you are glad that metal detectors were not invented back then" I said.

"Quite right my dear. My days as a reaper gave me the scars I carry so I felt like they owed me something" he said.

"I can understand that. When Rome fell I took a couple of things to remind me of what I had lost and what had been" I said.

"Like what?" Thanatos asked.

"Well Antony's body and his grave stone for one. Let me tell you that transporting that was no pleasure. Some of the other things I took were a pair of daggers, two swords besides the one I use, a Roman toga, and some jewelry" I said.

"I would love to see you in that toga" he said as a wicked light came into his eyes. I coughed and blushed a light pink.

"Perhaps some day you will" I said. We talked some more and then went to bed. The next day I called a meeting with my mother. I went to her hall and hugged her. She had been very happy that Marcus hadn't hurt me that she sent his soul to my father. She only did that when somebody had angered her very badly, which Marcus had when he kidnapped me.

"What did you want to speak with me about Libitina?" my mother asked.

"Mother it is time for me to leave the death maidens. I will still carry all of my duties as a goddess, but other than that and managing my club I need to retire" I said.

"Your club?" she asked.

"I'm surprised you didn't figure it out mother. I own and run La Petite Mort" I said.

"I was wondering who would name their club something like that. I should have known it was you with your morbid sense of humor" she said.

"Yep that's me, morbidly funny" I said with a grin.

"So you want to retire?" she asked. I think she wanted to make sure she had heard me right before.

"Yes mother I want to retire. Portia can take over the death maidens, she knows what she is doing now" I said.

"If that is what you wish daughter than you have my blessing" she said. I hugged her and smiled.

"Thank you for understanding" I said.

"Of course dear. Now go and spend time with Thanatos. Go be happy" she said. I smiled and thanked her again before I left. I went home and found William talking to Thanatos on my back porch.

"What did you want to see me about sir?" William asked Thanatos, apparently the uptight shinigami hadn't noticed me yet. Thanatos did though and he smiled as he saw me.

"William I called you here to let you know that I will not do any more cases for you. Consider me retired once again" Thanatos said.

"As you wish sir" William said before he vanished. I smiled softly at Thanatos before I went over to him.

"Thank you" I said as I gave him a hug.

"You're welcome my dear. The only good thing that came from working again was meeting you" he said as he gave me a soft kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck as I kissed him back.

"I can agree with that" I whispered before I kissed him once again.

"Mmmm" he hummed in his throat before our lips parted.

"You tempt me to no end" I said softly, feeling the heat his kisses gave me lick up my skin. He laughed gently.

"Can I tempt you into having a party tonight?" he asked.

"For what?" I asked.

"To celebrate our retirement" he said. I smiled.

"Who would you like to invite?" I asked.

"Well how about Grell and Ron?" he asked.

"That sounds nice" I said.

"I'll call them and let them know. Then I will cook for the party" he said.

"Now that is something to look forward to after my shower. I get to enjoy your cooking" I said with a grin before I headed to the bathroom. I took my time washing my hair and my body. After I was done I wrapped myself in a towel and went into my closet. It took me a while to find the black toga I had told Thanatos about. The thing took forever to get on, as I had to wind the black fabric around my body. Once I was done and the toga tied at my waist, I slipped on a pair of silver sandals and braided my hair. Once the braid was complete I put it up in a bun, pinning it in place. Then I put a silver hair wreath in, wrapping the ends around my bun. Then I headed out of my room. I heard the sound of male voices coming from the back yard and the back porch. I smiled softly and followed the sounds outside. Grell and Ron were talking to Thanatos and none of them saw me yet.

"I meant what I said and I'm not taking it back" Grell said with a pout. I wondered what the heck had gone on in the hour that I wasn't out here.

"It is good to see you again Grell. Same goes with you Ron" I said. All three men turned and jaws dropped all around.

"Wow" Ron breathed softly. I had to stifle a giggle, that boy was such a flirt.

"You are one lucky man Thanatos" Gretel said with a giggle.

"I tend to agree with you Grell on that. I am one lucky man" Thanatos said with a smile as he came over to me and gave me a soft kiss. I kissed him back and then smiled at Grell and Ron.

"Both of you will find your soul mates in time" I said.

"You really think so?" Grell asked with a glow in his eyes.

"Yes I do. But I have a bit of advice for you Ron" I said.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"You need to stop being such a flirt. Most of the women who want to settle down would see your flirtatious nature and think that you are a player, a man who doesn't want to get involved with one person. If they think that they won;t let you in. Take time and learn how to woo a woman. Then when the right one comes along let the other women know that your heart is taken. The gods and goddesses know that this world needs more honest men" I said.

"I never thought of my flirting that way. I will keep what you said in mind" Ron said.

"Good, I'm glad. Shall we eat, I'm starving" I said.

"Yes let's eat!" Grell said as we all sat down at the patio table. We talked and ate for an hour, laughing and just having a good time. Grell and Ron helped Thanatos clean up while I stood and looked down on LA, just watching the mortal realm go by. The men must have come back out at some point because Thanatos snuck up behind me and gave me a hug, I turned around, blinking in surprise.

"Sweetheart it isn't a good idea to sneak up on me" I said as I calmed down.

"Sorry dear I didn't mean to startle you" Thanatos said.

"It's alright" I said as he ran his hands down my back. Then his eyes widened in surprise and he put his face by my ear.

"You don't have a bra on do you?" he whispered softly into my ear. I giggled softly.

"Very observant dear. No I don't have one on and to top it off I don't have any panties on either" I said softly into his ear. He gently let me go and I noticed his beautiful eyes were glowing.

"Party's over" he said loudly and I blushed. I knew all too well what my lover had in mind.

"Aw why?" Grell and Ron asked at the same time.

"I'm a little tired and need some rest. Sorry guys" I said.

"Aww well in that case we shall take our leave" Ron said.

"Have a nice evening" Grell called as Ron led him out the door and down the hill.

"Why do I get the idea that those two knew what you want to do to me?" I asked softly as Thanatos and I walked inside to our bedroom.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they did know. They were both calling me a pervert before you came outside" he said with a shrug as he shut the door behind us.

"So that was what that little fuss was about when I came outside. They don't know the half of it, because I'm just as much of a pervert as you my dear. I just can't seem to keep my hands off of you" I said as I unbuttoned his shirt. His chuckle warmed my heart as I slid the garment off of him.

"Hmm I noticed that you've always had a problem keeping your hands to yourself. Even before we fell for each other" he said as I yanked his pants down and off.

"I noticed that too. I think it was your scars that drew me to you. I guess in a way I was attracted to you before my heart was ready to admit it" I said as I pulled down his boxers. He stepped out of them and chuckled.

"I'm glad that you finally let me into your heart. But now I seem to be at a disadvantage as I am the only one naked" he mused. I chuckled softly.

"Oh I have you right where I want you" I said.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes it is. But I wouldn't mind being out of this toga" I said.

"Mmmm and I wouldn't mind getting you out of it. But I am not sure how to" he said. I laughed and handed him the fabric where it was tied at my waist.

"Just untie and unwind the cloth" I said.

"No wonder it took you so long to come outside" he said as he untied and then unwound the black fabric.

"Ah that is the art of wearing a toga. They are a pain to put on and oh so much fun to take off" I said as the fabric fell away from my body.

"Now that is better" Thanatos mused as he pulled my naked body to his.

"I have to agree" I said as he gently nudged me back to the bed. I sat down on the soft mattress and then moved back, gently pulling Thanatos down on top of me.

"I seem to have you pinned down dear" he said.

"I noticed that. Are you going to take advantage of that?" I asked.

"I think I will" he said before he gently took my glasses off and kissed me. He put my glasses on my bedside table and gently cupped one of my breasts. I moaned as he pinched the nipple, gently rolling it between his fingers.

"Mmmmm please" I whispered as I reached out for my contacts case. I slipped the magic contacts in and then was able to see the wicked grin on my lover's face.

"I want to hear you beg for me darling, I want you crazy with need before I give you what you want" he whispered before he put his mouth on my breast. I moaned and wiggled underneath him as his hands ran over me, setting my body on fire. His touch was devastating, so accurate at hitting my pleasure spots that I felt my wetness growing.

"Thanatos you wicked tease" I gasped out before I felt his hand cup my dripping pussy. I moaned louder as he ran a finger over the slick lips and rubbed my throbbing clit.

"Almost there love, you're almost ready" he said before he slipped a finger inside me. My back arched and I cried out, wanting to just toss him off me and have my way with him. His finger was joined by another and the moved with precision inside of me, slowly and then quickly, the pace never stopping. I cried out as my pussy contracted around those fingers and I came screaming.

"Thanatos enough! Take me! Claim me once again" I cried as my body shuttered in pleasure.

"Now that is what I wanted to hear" he said as he removed his fingers and replaced them with his rock hard cock.

"Ooooh Thanatos" I moaned as I felt my body respond to his. Then he started to make love to me and goddess it was exquisite. He slid in and out of me, moving his cock to strike every little spot inside of me that made me want to cry out in joy.

"Libitina" he whispered softly into my hair. Thanatos knew he could not hold back much longer, he could feel his orgasm building deep inside of him, making his beloved beg for him had been more of a turn on than he had expected.

"Come for me, complete me for I am yours" I whispered as I felt another huge orgasm approaching. He pressed his mouth to mine before we both cried out, coming together, our bodies writhing in passion. And so we spent the rest of the night, making love, taking each other over and over much to our mutual satisfaction. Then we cuddled in each other's arms, falling asleep together, just happy in the fact that we had each other and didn't have to worry anymore.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: A Father's Approval and Blessing

A week later Thanatos was having tea with the goddess Morta at Libitina's house. He had something important to discuss with the goddess.

"I'm pleased to see you Thanatos. How is my daughter?" Morta asked before she sipped her tea.

"Liberian is well and quite happy. She is spending the day with her friend Scarlet" he said before he bit into a bone shaped cookie he had made.

"Ah her fairy friend. They will probably go to the spa and then spend the day shopping" Morta said with a smile as she took a cookie from the plate.

"Libitina said as much. She said I would be bored to tears if I went with them" he said as he put the half eaten cookie down on the saucer by his tea-cup.

"Well I guess that could be true, but I think the real reason my daughter didn't want you going with them is because Scarlet's taste in clothes can be a little suggestive. She probably didn't want you to see her wearing some of the stuff that Scarlet would make her try on. After all Scarlet's job in the mortal realm is as a stripper and model for alternative clothing" Morta said with a sniff. Thanatos coughed in surprise.

"I take it that you don't approve of her work" he said.

"Scarlet is a fairy princess Thanatos. Certain behavior is expected from fay royalty. Taking your clothes off for money is not one of the things that is acceptable for her to do. I have no issue with women who do it to make ends meat, but Scarlet just does it for kicks and to piss her father off" Morta said.

"Ah I see. Which brings me to one question I need answered. Why doesn't Libitina ever really talk about her father?" he asked.

"Well Thanatos that is a long story. Libitina's father wasn't around much when she was younger. Pluto was married to another woman when I met him so you can imagine the gossip and the lectures we got when Libitina was born. He had to distance himself from us to save his marriage, which I do not blame him for. But Libitina in her youth did not understand" Morta said with a sigh.

"I can see why that causes problems. Lady Morta I have one more question for you" he said.

"What is it Thanatos?" she asked before she bit into the cookie she had taken earlier.

"I tend to be a bit old-fashioned in this, but I think it only proper. Can I have your blessing and ask you daughter to marry me?" he asked. Morta swallowed and smiled at him softly.

"Of course you may. But I would also ask her father for his blessing, He may not always show it, but he is very protective of Libitina and loves her very much" Morta said.

"Of course" he said.

"Libitina will be so happy which is all I ever wanted for her since Antony passed. I warned her that she would get hurt if she married him but she did not listen" Morta sighed.

"We can't always help who we love. My first wife was mortal, but it didn't stop me. I lost her to an accident a very long time ago, but she had the sight and made me promise to keep my heart open. I'm glad I did" Thanatos said.

"I didn't realize how much you had in common with my daughter. You are perfect for her" Morta said. Thanatos chuckled softly.

"Your daughter seems to think so. Now how do I get to see Pluto. Do I have to enter the underworld?" he asked.

"Yes you have to enter the underworld to see Pluto. He never comes above these days. It shouldn't be too hard because there is a way in through Alcatraz for the gods and goddesses. Since you are a god of death you should have no problem finding the portal" Morta said.

"Why am I not surprised that there is a portal to the underworld in a prison" he said with a chuckle.

"It was a joke on Pluto played by Mercury. Being the god of mischief, Mercury likes to play tricks and see how others react. Let's just say that Mercury was surprised on how Pluto reacted to the Alcatraz joke" Morta said with a grin.

"Libitina doesn't like Mercury's jokes. He decided to play one on us during dinner not too long ago and she got very upset" Thanatos said.

"My daughter has my sense of humor Thanatos. Even I do not find my brother Mercury funny" Morta said.

"I must admit I did not find him amusing either. So when is a good time to go to Alcatraz to use the portal?" Thanatos asked.

"Sometime after dark will be good. The mortals hold tours there during the day and somebody would notice if you just vanished from view. Don't want to cause a stir" Morta said.

"All for the better. I am not one for mornings" he said.

"Neither is my daughter. The only time she wakes early is when shopping needs to be done. She goes early to avoid the crowds" Morta said.

"I know, it was an early morning when she took me shopping the day after we officially met. In all honesty I think we have so much in common because we are made for each other" he said.

"My sister Fortuna thinks so" Morta said.

"I would hope that you think so too Lady Morta. If all goes well I will be your son-in-law soon enough" he said.

"I do hope that comes to pass Thanatos, I really do" Morta said before she vanished. Thanatos cleaned up the tea and cookies before he went outside. Sitting in the bushes was the wolf Nocturna. Thanatos went over to her and held out a hand.

"What are you doing here lady wolf?" he asked.

"Ahwoooo" Nocturna howled.

"Are you worried about me visiting the underworld to speak with Libitina's father?" he asked. The beautiful wolf nodded and then chuffed.

"Grrrr" Nocturna growled as she put her nose to the ground.

"No need to be worried. I will be careful while I'm down there" he said. Nocturna looked at him, gave a huff, and then walked back into the woods. Thanatos looked at the sky and noticed the sun was setting so he went inside, left Libitina a note, and then went to Alcatraz. He found the portal to the underworld with no problem and entered it. He found himself outside a palace under a rock ledge that sparkled with jewels. A Roman soldier holding a Pilum stopped him before he could move.

"Halt, who goes there?" the soldier asked as he pointed his weapon at Thanatos.

"My name is Thanatos Grimm, I am a shinigami. I am here to talk to Lord Pluto about his daughter Libitina" Thanatos said. The soldier lowered his Pilum and stood straight.

"Lord Pluto is expecting you, please follow me" the soldier said. Thanatos nodded and followed the soldier into the palace. The soldier lead him into another room that had several tables and chairs in it. Sitting in one black chair was a white-haired man who despite his hair color looked young. He was sipping a cup of wine as Thanatos and the soldier came in. The soldier knelt before him, putting his head to the floor.

"Speak" the man said.

"Lord Pluto your guest has arrived" the soldier said to the white-haired man.

"Ah thank you. You may leave us now" Pluto said to soldier.

"Yes my lord" the soldier said and he left the room.

"My greetings to you Lord Pluto" Thanatos said with a bow.

"Just Pluto to you Thanatos Grimm" Pluto said as he gestured to the empty chair beside him. Thanatos sat and looked at the god carefully.

"Thank you sir, I mean no disrespect but I was taught to respect other gods and goddesses. Being informal with one is something that goes against my upbringing" Thanatos said.

"Very well. What brings you here?" Pluto asked as he laced his fingers together.

"Well sir I don't know if you have heard this but I am in a relationship with your daughter Libitina" Thanatos said.

"Yes I had heard that bit of information. She gave you the name Thanatos. Before that you were known simply as the undertaker" Pluto said.

"That is correct sir" Thanatos said.

"So you are here about Libitina? How is my daughter, I haven't seen her in a long time" Pluto said with a sad smile on his face.

"Yes this is about Libitina. Don't worry sir, she is fine. I care for her and she can take care of herself, she is quite strong. I love her very much" Thanatos said.

"Well I am glad. She was quite devastated when Antony died, but a lot of us knew it wasn't going to last" Pluto said.

"It hurts to lose a loved one, even if you know that it will come someday. I mourned a great deal after my wife died" Thanatos said.

"So you understand my daughter's pain which is good and the two of you have fallen for each other. What can I do?" Pluto asked.

"Sir I came to ask for your blessing to marry your daughter" Thanatos said softly. Pluto's gray eyes widened and he smiled, clapping Thanatos on the shoulder.

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place! Of course you may have my blessing. Do you have a ring yet?" Pluto asked.

"No sir I haven't been able to find one with a star sapphire yet" Thanatos said.

"Ah my daughter's favorite stone, the perfect choice. But I can see how not finding one could be a problem. Thankfully I can fix that" Pluto said. He put his hand to the earth and a clump of silver, a clump of gold, and one perfect oval star sapphire popped out of the dirt. Pluto picked them up and took a cloth out of his pocket, cleaning each and then laying them on the small table.

"Thank you sir" Thanatos said in awe.

"Don't thank me yet son. Which metal should we use, silver or gold?" Pluto asked.

"Silver sir. I've never seen Libitina wear any gold" Thanatos said.

"Silver it is then" Pluto said as he put his hand to the ground again. Out popped more silver and a bunch of small perfect diamonds.

"What are you doing sir?" Thanatos asked, his curiosity piqued.

"You need a wedding ring as well as an engagement ring. How long will you insist on calling me sir once I become your father-in-law?" Pluto asked as he closed a hand over two small diamonds, the star sapphire, and a small clump of the silver.

"It will take me some time to call you anything but sir. As I told you before I was raised to respect the gods and goddesses, which is rare among shinigami. I'd rather be accused of being too respectful than anger any of you since I know what the gods and goddesses are capable of" Thanatos said.

"Fair enough" Pluto said as he put something in his pocket and then took up another clump of silver and the rest of the small diamonds, closing his hand around them.

"Sir if I may ask a question?" Thanatos asked.

"Be my guest" Pluto said as he put another item into his pocket. He took the last clump of silver and once again closed his hand around it.

"I have heard that the jewels that your descendants raise from the earth can be cursed. Is that true?" Thanatos asked.

"Sometimes it is true, sometimes it is not. It depends on who has been given the gift and how they use it. The jewels that I raise have no curses on them, but anybody who uses them for selfish means will become very ill. It's just a precaution, so they don't fall into the wrong hands" Pluto said. Then he fished the other two objects out of his pocket and handed Thanatos three rings. The star sapphire ring had two small diamonds set beside it on a silver band, just what Thanatos had in mind when he had started looking for rings. The wedding band was perfect as well, the small circular diamonds gleaming in the silver band. But the plain silver band puzzled Thanatos. He held it up and looked at Pluto.

"What is this sir?" Thanatos asked. Pluto shook his head in disbelief and grinned.

"Libitina would have your head if you didn't wear a wedding band once you are married to her, I know my daughter well. That there is your wedding band, it will save you a headache with my daughter and time so you don't have to go look for one" Pluto said. Thanatos gave a sheepish grin and put his ring in his jeans pocket.

"Thank you sir" Thanatos said.

"You're quite welcome. Take these to store the other two rings" Pluto said as he pushed over two black velvet boxes. Thanatos put a ring in each and put one box in his shirt pocket and the other in his jeans pocket.

"Once again sir you have my thanks" Thanatos said as he stood.

"You're welcome. I know I really haven't been there for Libitina but I would love to come to the wedding" Pluto said as he stood.

"I think that your presence at our wedding would please Libitina. Please feel free to come, we will send you an invitation once we set the date" Thanatos said.

"I like your confidence. Good luck my boy" Pluto said as he escorted Thanatos back to the portal.

"Thank you sir, I appreciate everything you have done" Thanatos said before he went back through the portal. When I arrived home from my day of shopping with Scarlet following right behind, we found the house empty.

"Where is Thanatos?" Scarlet asked as she helped me bring in a couple of bags.

"I'm not sure. Look there is a note" I said pointing a finger at the coffee table. On the single white piece of paper his handwriting was neat and the sight of it made me smile. It read:

"Libitina I had to run an errand. Be back as soon as I can. Love you always my dear. ~Thanatos"

"Aww that's sweet. I've never had a note left for me while I was out that wasn't from my father" Scarlet said as she put the last bags on my bed.

"Thanatos is a sweetheart. Has your father been yelling at you again?" I asked.

"Yes and no. You know how my father is" Scarlet said as she headed for the door.

"Yes I remember King Shani Regatti well. You better get home, he'll expect you to be packed and ready to go in the next couple of days" I said giving her a hug.

"Call me as often as you can, if I don't answer my cell leave a message. I'll miss you" she said before she went out the door, closing it softly behind her. I walked into my kitchen and started fixing dinner, shopping with Scarlet had left me starving. I was just about ready to eat when I heard the front door open.

"Are you home dear girl" Thanatos called out as he came in the door.

"Yes I'm in the kitchen" I said. He came into the kitchen and gave me a soft kiss.

"I missed you today" he said softly.

"I missed you too but it was nice to get out with Scarlet. She is going to be stuck in the fairy realm for the next two months. There is some sort of conference going on that she has to attend because she is the princess of her court and her father told her that it was her royal duty to attend" I said as I set a plate of baked chicken and mashed potatoes in front of the chair that Thanatos usually sat in. He moved my chair for me, letting me sit before he sat and we began to eat.

"Sounds like Scarlet is going to be busy" he said after he finished a bite.

"Knowing King Shani like I do, yes as his daughter Scarlet will be. She hates these conferences though, she says they are dull" I said with a giggle.

"Sounds like Scarlet likes to keep things jumping" he said with a grin.

"Yes she does, much to her father's dismay. Like Grell, things are never boring when Scarlet is around" I said. My love let out a bark of laughter and nodded.

"Well I don't know Scarlet as well as you do, but I think she and Grell would make an interesting couple" he said. I laughed, covering my mouth.

"I think so too. Let's just say I think they'd paint the town red" I said. Thanatos laughed again, his eyes dancing with mirth. He put his fork down then and got up with a tender smile on his face.

"Speaking of couples I have something to ask you" he said.

"Okay shoot" I said as I sat there. I felt a little weird as he turned my chair to the side and stood there while I continued to sit. Then he got down on one knee, pulling a black velvet box out of shirt pocket. I gasped as I realized what my beloved was about to do.

"I can't imagine living without you in my life Libitina. Will you marry me?" he asked as he offered me the box. I opened it and let out a little gasp. Inside was the most beautiful star sapphire ring, the blue star sapphire sparkled in the light as the polished silver band glinted.

"Yes Thanatos I will marry you" I said as I wiped a tear from my face. He took the ring out of the box and slipped it on my ring finger. I was amazed, it fit perfectly. Then he got up and I stood to embrace him.

"You have made me the happiest man ever" he whispered in my ear as I held him.

"And you have made me a very happy woman. I was not expecting you this though" I said as I looked at the ring. Two small diamonds sat on either side of the star sapphire, each stone perfect in every way.

"Being the man that I am, I asked your parents first" he said. I raised an eyebrow, I thought the ring had looked like something my father would make.

"You spoke to my father?" I asked in curiosity.

"Yes I spoke to him earlier this evening. He would like to attend the wedding if you don't mind" Thanatos said. I blinked, completely shocked.

"Now that is a surprise. I would love to have him there, he's never been around much" I said softly.

"He said as much. I think he wants to make up for it in some way. He knows that it will never replace the time you have lost, but you have eternity to get to know each other better" Thanatos said.

"That we do" I said.

"I mean it when I say that I can't imagine my life without you Libitina. I want to wake up each day and know that you are mine and will be mine forever" he said. I kissed him softly and gave him a squeeze.

"And you shall have that my dear. Now and always" I said before we went to bed.


	15. Chapter 15 (Warning Lemons!)

Chapter Fifteen: Forevermore

A week later I was meeting with Aunt Venus to discuss my wedding plans. Thanatos was out of the house with Grell and Ron, all three men were looking at tuxedos and getting fitted for them. The doorbell rang and I answered it, finding my aunt on the other side.

"Aunt Venus why didn't you just appear inside?" I asked as I let her in.

"I didn't want to interrupt anything" she said as she swept inside. I closed the door behind her and led her into the kitchen. I pulled out a chair next to mine at the table and she sat down gracefully.

"Nothing to interrupt. Thanatos is out tux hunting with Grell and Ron. Although knowing Grell the way I do, he's rather wear a dress" I said. Venus giggled softly.

"He sure is a very interesting character. I don't believe I've ever met anybody like Grell Sutcliff" she said.

"Hmm I was sure you had met my friend Scarlet. Sadly she is going to miss the wedding" I said with a sigh.

"Why won't she be there?" Venus asked.

"Because she is fay royalty she has to be at the conference going on in the fairy realm during the next two months. You may have heard of her father, King Shani Regatti of the blood fay" I said. Venus blinked in surprise.

"Your friend is Scarlet Rosa Regatti?" she asked.

"Yes why?" I asked. Venus laughed, shaking her head.

"You are quite right I have met Scarlet before, although it was only once. She is very flashy and always speaks her mind" she said.

"Yep that's Scarlet" I said with a giggle.

"Now my dear we need to plan your wedding. Where would you like to have it and where would you like to hold your reception?" she asked.

"I was hoping to use Juno's hall for the wedding. That is if Aunt Juno doesn't mind" I said.

"I don't think Juno would mind. As a matter of fact I think she will be honored. Now what about the reception?" Venus asked.

"Well would you mind if we borrowed your hall for that?" I asked.

"I think that's a great idea" Venus said

"I was also hoping that Aunt Juno would preside over the wedding ceremony since she is the goddess of marriage" I said as I fiddled with the blue strand in my hair.

"Now I know that would please her" Venus said with a smile.

"Will you ask her to meet with me tomorrow then?" I asked.

"Of course my dear. Now what about your dress and shoes?" Venus asked.

"I was hoping cousin Minerva could help since she is the goddess of crafts. I have pictures on my laptop of what I would like" I said as I turned the laptop so Venus could see it. I pulled up a picture of the of the dress which was a lot like the dress the corpse bride wore in Tim Burton's movie "Corpse Bride." I hit the print button and handed the picture over to Venus. Then I pulled up a picture of the shoes I had in mind. Like my dress, the shoes were from a movie. They were a replica of the ball shoes Drew Barrymore wore as the character Danielle in the movie "Ever After" and I just loved them. Once again I hit the print button and handed the printed picture to my aunt.

"These are lovely. Cousin Minerva hasn't made a wedding dress for a goddess in years, she will be thrilled that you picked her for the honor" Venus said as she put the two pictures in a folder in her notebook.

"I hope she doesn't mind me asking for her help. She is one of the busiest goddesses these days" I said.

"Honey you are family. She will make time for you" Venus said.

"Then she has my gratitude" I said with a small smile.

"Now what about your flowers?" Venus asked.

"Well I was thinking ice blue roses, white stargazer lilies, and lavender calla lilies for my bouquet. But since I will have my hair braided I was hoping we could put some ice blue and lavender roses in it. I would consider myself lucky if you would do my hair and nails for the wedding Aunt Venus" I said.

"I would be honored to do so Libitina" she said as she gave me a hug.

"Is there anything else you need?" I asked.

"Only two more things. I need your music list and I need to know who you have in mind to be your maid of honor and your bridesmaids" Venus said.

"Weddings were so much simpler in Roman times" I said with a sigh.

"Yes they were, but I enjoy watching the modern ones. Some of the most romantic and entertaining stuff happens during them" Venus said. I giggled softly, it was so like my aunt to love to spy on a wedding.

"We seem to have gotten off track. I haven't gotten my music ready yet and as for my bridesmaids I was hoping you and Aunt Vesta would do the honors. I still need to ask my mother about being my maid of honor" I said. Venus smiled as Vesta and my mother appeared in the room.

"I would love to help" Vesta said with a smile. I hugged my aunt, it had been a while since I had seen her.

"As I would be honored dear daughter" Morta said. I hated it when they spied, but in this moment I didn't mind that they had listened. I smiled softly.

"Thank you both. I only have one favor to ask. Please keep Uncle Bacchus and his nymphs from bringing in a copy of the Macarena. We do not want a repeat of Maybella's wedding" I said. Maybella was my cousin who got married about two years ago. Uncle Bacchus and his party of nymphs had gotten quite drunk and had insisted on dancing the Macarena. Needless to say watching a portly bald man and bunch of barely clad women dance that particular dance had embarrassed us all.

"We will definitely make sure that doesn't happen" all three women said at the same time. I giggled and gave them each a hug.

"Thank you. I will work on getting my music ready" I said.

"Don't forget to send your invitations" my mother said. I looked at the calendar and wondered how it could be the beginning of July already.

"Thanatos and I haven't actually set the date yet. We will send out the invitations out once we do" I said.

"Don't take too long, we all need time to prepare" Venus said.

"We won't. We will be talking about the date tonight" I said.

"Don't forget to tell your father" my mother said before she, Venus, and Vesta vanished. I smiled, I wasn't going to forget to let my father know. Especially after he had let Thanatos know that he wanted to attend. It meant so much to me that I had a special favor to ask my dad, one I knew he had never preformed for any of his daughters. I heard the front door open, took a step, and then stepped back when I heard Grell swear.

"For the love of Anubis I just don't understand why I can't wear a dress" Grell huffed. I burst out laughing and went to greet the men.

"Grell I'll make you a deal. If you wear a tux for the real wedding ceremony, you can wear a dress at the reception. How does that sound?" I asked as I came into the room where Grell, Ron, and Thanatos were standing. Grell's face lit up and he smiled at me.

"You've got a deal honey. Thank you" Grell said, his eyes glowing with gratitude.

"It's not a problem. I have the perfect red dress for you. A friend got it for me, but I have never worn it because red makes my white hair really stand out" I said. It was the truth, along with the fact that I wasn't too fond of the color. It suited Scarlet and Grell, but not me.

"May I see it?" Grell asked, his eyes taking on a glimmer of excitement.

"Of course" I said.

"Oi you have to encourage him" Ron said with a sigh.

"It isn't hurting anybody Ron so I don't see why not" I said as I led Grell to my hall closet. I opened the door and got out the hanger that was covered by a long black dress bag. I handed it over to Grell who took it with a gentle reverence. Carefully he slipped the bag up to show a red dress that had no sleeves, but fastened around the neck. The ring around the neck and waist was studded with white diamonds and the glittered in the hall light.

"Oh darling this is perfect. Thank you so much" Grell said as he hugged the dress to him.

"It's not a problem Grell. As a matter of fact you can keep it if you want to" I said as Thanatos came up and wrapped his arms around me.

"Libitina I can't thank you enough" Grell said as he slid the bag over the dress.

"I'd rather you get use out of it Grell than have it gather dust in my closet" I said. The crimson haired man hugged the bag once again and then kissed my hand.

"You are a total gem darling" Grell said.

"We need to get going Grell. William will be furious if we are late to the meeting" Ron said. Grell glanced at the clock and gasped.

"Oh dear we've gotta go if I want to drop this dress off at home before then. Bye dearie" Grell said before he and Ron vanished. I shook my head and grinned as I turned to hug my fiancé.

"You made Grell very happy indeed" Thanatos said once the two men were gone.

"It's the least I can do" I said.

"It was still a nice gesture. Now I'm going to cook us dinner and we're going to discuss when we're going to hold our wedding" he said. I smiled gently up at him.

"That sounds good to me" I said. Thanatos smiled as he gave me a kiss before he started cooking. I set the table as wonderful smells came wafting through the dining room, making my mouth water. I filled our glasses with lemonade and some special ice-cube that were made from frozen lemonade, it made the lemonade taste better since it wasn't watered down with melted water once the ice melted. Then I sat down and waited. I didn't have to wait long, because within minutes my love came over with the skillet and put some chicken fried rice on my plate and on his.

"Dinner is served" he said as he put the skillet on a hot plate. Then he sat next to me and gave me a peck on the cheek.

"This looks delicious" I said before I took a bite. I sighed in pleasure, it tasted as good as it looked. I couldn't have asked for a better soul mate. This wonderful man loved me, accepted me, and could cook as well as I could. I was one lucky woman.

"Do you like it?" he asked after he finished a mouthful.

"Of course I do. You know I think that you are a wonderful cook" I said with a smile.

"You flatter me" he said.

"I speak the truth. Remember I told you that Antony couldn't cook at all. And I know a good cook when I taste the food. Your cooking makes me one very happy woman" I said. Thanatos let out a little laugh and touched my arm.

"I don't doubt you my dear. Now when would you like to get married?" he asked, a small smile coming to his face.

"I was thinking July 21st. That should give everybody enough time since today is only the third" I said.

"That sounds good to me. Shall we send out the invitations tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, but I will deliver the one for my father personally after I am done meeting with Aunt Juno" I said.

"That will make your father happy" Thanatos said as we finished up our dinner. We picked up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Then we went to bed, cuddling with each other until we fell asleep. The next day Aunt Juno arrived around ten in the morning, surprising us as we ate breakfast.

"Venus told me you had something to ask of me" Juno said.

"Good morning Aunt Juno. Yes, I have something to ask of you. I was hoping that we could use your hall for our wedding and that you would marry us" I said as I took my fiancé's hand. Juno's features melted and she smiled. She knew what marriage meant to me and I knew she approved.

"I would be honored Libitina, thank you for asking" she said.

"Thank you Aunt Juno" I said.

"What is the date for the wedding?" Juno asked.

"July 21st at 11:30 am" I said.

"I shall have my hall ready by then" Juno said before she vanished.

"She seemed a little uptight when she arrived" Thanatos whispered in my ear.

"Aunt Juno is the one of the few among the gods and goddesses that believes in the sanctity of marriage. She's got every right to be slightly upset with Uncle Jupiter. They have been married for so long, but he still fools around. If I were her, I would be upset to. Marriage means a lot to me" I said.

"Ah I see. Marriage means a lot to me as well. I would never think of straying, I think cheating is the greatest of insults to the one you love" Thanatos said. I smiled softly.

"I knew there was a reason why I fell for you" I said as I gave him a kiss.

"Your love is my greatest treasure" he said as our lips parted.

"That means so much to me. Now I have to get going, I need to get the underworld before Alcatraz gets too crowded" I said.

"Go my dear, be safe" Thanatos said. So I left, sneaking through the portal to the underworld while the mortals milled about. Thankfully none of them noticed me. When I got to the underworld a soldier was waiting there for me.

"Greetings Libitina; goddess of corpses, funerals, and the dead. Your father, Lord Pluto, is waiting" the soldier said.

"Then lead the way" I said. It really didn't surprise me that my father was waiting. The gods and the goddesses always knew when their children were coming to visit. I followed the soldier into the underworld palace and into one of the sitting rooms. It didn't take me long to spot my father sitting in a black chair. He turned and smiled as he saw me.

"Libitina it's been a long time. Welcome my daughter" Pluto said. He waved the soldier away and the man left with a bow in my father's direction.

"It has been a long time indeed father. It's good to see you" I said as I walked over to him. He smiled and gave me a tentative hug. I hugged him back, the man had a right to not have to worry about the past. It was dead and gone, all we had now was the present and the future which were ours to shape and make. I handed him the invitation and he scanned it and smiled.

"The 21st sounds good to me. Where will the wedding be held?" he asked.

"In Juno's hall. I was hoping that you would walk me down the aisle" I said shyly. My father blinked in surprise and then gave me a wide grin.

"I would be honored to Libitina. Thank you, you have made an old man very happy" he said.

"Thank you for accepting, it means a lot to me. Please be at Juno's hall by 11:00 am on the 21st" I said as I gave him another hug.

"I wouldn't miss it. I'll have Cerberus guard the underworld while I am away" he said.

"How is the three-headed softie?" I asked. I had known the huge dog since he was just a puppy and he had quite a fondness for me.

"He's only a softie when you're around and he's doing very well. He misses you though, he'd put up a racket if he knew you were here" Pluto said with a small smile. I took a look around and then made a giant bone appear. I made sure it was big enough for three big mouths to gnaw on, I knew how much Cerberus loved big bones. I gave the monster bone to my father with a grin.

"Give this to Cerberus and tell him I miss him" I said as I headed towards the portal. Pluto took the giant bone and smiled.

"He will love this. See you soon Libitina" Pluto said before I went back to the mortal world. It was night when I arrived so I was able to appear without causing a fuss. Then I went home and got back to preparing for the wedding. Two weeks later Venus came over to do my nails.

"What color do you want them to be" she asked picking up one hand to look at my nails.

"Silver please. They have been black long enough" I said.

"I agree. I have a surprise for you" she said as she pulled out the silver nail polish. She would paint them and then put a little spell on the nails that would have them stay a silver color and never chip once she was done. I was about to ask Venus what she meant when my mother appeared.

"What are you doing here mom?" I asked.

"I came to remove your death maiden mark and to give you something else" Morta said. I raised my pierced eyebrow, wondering what my mother had in mind. She touched my shoulder and with a tingle the black scythe tattoo vanished. Then she placed her hand on my hip. There was a slight burning sensation along with a tingle and I wonder what she had put there. Aunt Venus finished my nails, said the spell, and then smiled. I stood and hugged her and then hugged my mother.

"Thank you" I said.

"You're welcome" Venus and Morta said.

"See you both in three days" I said before they both vanished. Then Thanatos came into the room, he had been on the phone with Ron when Aunt Venus had popped in earlier. He noticed my shoulder and I smiled softly as he came over to check where the mark had been.

"The death maiden mark is gone I see. That means you are down to three tattoos" he mused.

"It would mean that if my mother hadn't given me a new tattoo. It's on my left hip" I said.

"Oh well I will leave that surprise for our honeymoon" he said with a wicked glint in his eyes. I gave a soft chuckle as I embraced him.

"You are such a tease" I whispered before we went to bed for the evening. Three days later I sat in my wedding dress as Aunt Venus braided my hair. She worked in the ice blue and lavender roses as she braided, humming something under her breath. Then Aunt Juno came in and she handed me my bridal bouquet and smiled.

"The men are all here and ready" Juno said.

"Are my father and Aunt Vesta here yet?" I asked.

"Yes. Your father just arrived and Vesta has been here for a little while. They are both waiting outside the room" Juno said.

"Thank you Aunt Juno" I said as I picked up my star sapphire necklace and put it on as Venus finished my hair.

"You are ready to go dear" Venus said. I looked at my mother who was wearing a silver dress and my Aunt Venus who was wearing a light blue dress and I smiled.

"Then shall we get started?" I asked.

"Of course" Juno said as she donned a gold robe. Then the three women left the room. I followed them and spotted my father and Aunt Vesta. Aunt Vesta was wearing a light lavender dress and she joined my mother and Aunt Venus at the entrance to Juno's hall. Juno left for the front of the hall as I went over to my father. He had his long white hair in a ponytail and he was wearing a tux.

"You look good dad. Are you ready to go?" I asked as I took his arm.

"Yes I'm ready. You look lovely Libitina. You're going to take your future husband's breath away" Pluto said. I blushed and smiled softly at him. Then I heard Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata start to play.

"That's our cue" I said. Tears threatened me, but I blinked them away as my father walked me down Juno's hall. My eyes latched on Thanatos and my breath caught. He looked so handsome in his tux. When we arrived at the end of the hall my father gently handed me over to Thanatos.

"You are simply stunning" Thanatos whispered as he took my hand.

"You are quite handsome yourself" I said softly before Juno spoke.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union between Libitina Macabre and Thanatos Grimm. Who gives this woman to this man?" Juno asked.

"We do" my father and my mother said at the same time.

"Libitina's mother and father agree that this couple has their blessing. Now is there anybody against this union. Speak now or forever hold your peace" Juno said. There was silence for a moment before Grell piped up.

"Darlings these two belong together, nobody will say otherwise" the crimson haired man said. I sighed and giggled softly, Scarlet would have said the same thing.

"So be it. Now for the vows" Juno said.

"If you don't mind Lady Juno, I have written my own vows" Thanatos said. I blinked in surprise and smiled. It was just like my love to have something up his sleeve.

"Proceed" Juno said.

"I've lived my life alone for over 150 years, never thinking once that it would change. Then eight months ago I met you Libitina. I fell for you the moment you shared your soul through song. Now there is nothing more that I want to do than to spend the rest of my life with you as your husband. So will you take me as I am for the rest of our lives?" Thanatos asked.

"I will" I said as a tear ran down my cheek.

"Libitina do you have your own vows as well?" Juno asked.

"Yes I do" I said.

"Then please go ahead" Juno said. I took a deep breath and then let it out, I was a little nervous.

"I've been alone for centuries, I've seen a lot of love and a lot of death. I never thought I would love again until I met you Thanatos. Opening my heart was hard, but it has all been worth it. You have made my life worth living again and all I want to do is to be your wife. So will you take me as I am for the rest of our lives?" I asked.

"I will" Thanatos said with a loving smile.

"The rings please" Juno said. Ron handed her the velvet pillow he had been holding and it had two rings on it. One was a simple silver band and the other had several small diamonds in it. I looked at my father and smiled, I knew his work when I saw it. Then I looked back to Thanatos as he slipped the star sapphire ring off, slid the band with the diamonds on and then slid the star sapphire ring back on.

"I'm going to cry" Grell said with a sigh and a sniffle. I giggled softly, I had expected him to be in tears by now.

"With this ring I thee wed" Thanatos said with a smile. I smiled and took the silver band and slipped it on his ring finger.

"With this ring I thee wed" I said.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride" Juno said. We kissed and Grell took out a tissue and dabbed at his eyes.

"It's about time" Grell said as he winked at me.

"It's my pleasure to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Grimm" Juno said. I blinked back tears as Thanatos and I walked down the aisle together. We went into Venus's hall which was right next to Juno's. I had already given Venus the cd of music and we waited for a bit as Grell went to change. Once he came back out in his dress we sat down and ate.

"Now it's time for the first dance between husband and wife" Venus said with a grin. HIM's song "For You" came on and Thanatos and I made our way to the floor. We danced together like we had before, the only thing that had changed since then was that we were married now. The song ended and everybody came out to the dance floor. Ron requested one dance with me, which surprised me but I accepted. I danced with him, giggling and pointing out Grell who was dancing with my cousin Cupid.

"I feel a little sorry for your cousin" Ron whispered softly.

"Don't feel sorry for Cupid. He's used to that sort of behavior and it doesn't bother him in the slightest" I said with a shrug.

"He's very tolerant" Ron said.

"Yes he is and you should be to. I know you don't understand Grell's choice of sexuality, but don't judge him by it. If I had judged my friend Scarlet by her bi-sexuality we would have never become friends. While I think she's a bit dramatic sometimes, I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything" I said.

"I guess I should be more understanding. I just don't understand being attracted to the same-sex" Ron said.

"I don't understand it either, but that doesn't keep me from being friends with people who are that way" I said. Ron nodded as the song ended and we separated.

"Time for the father daughter dance" Morta said with a smile. Pluto smiled as he came over to me and took my hand. He led me into a slow dance to the song "Sunrise, Sunset" from the musical Fiddler on the Roof and I smiled up at him.

"Thank you for letting me be a part of this" my father whispered in my ear.

"You're welcome. Thank you for wanting to be here for me daddy" I said as I gave him a kiss on the cheek. He hugged me gently and kissed the top of my head.

"No matter where I may be, I will always love you my dear daughter" he said as the dance finished. I brushed a tear away from my cheek and smiled at him.

"Thanks daddy" I said.

"Time for the flower toss Libitina" Cupid said with a wink. I let out a small laugh and went to get my bouquet. I picked it up and tossed it, laughing when Grell caught it and let out a girly squeal. Thanatos came over and took my hand as we watched Grell sniff the flowers.

"You're off to Rome now right" Ron asked.

"Yes we're going to Rome. After being there for a month we will head to Paris" I said.

"How romantic. Have a good time" Grell said.

"We will. You'll watch and take care of our cats right?" I asked.

"Of course darling" Grell said.

"Thank you" I said before I wrapped my arms around Thanatos and we vanished from sight. We appeared in the bedroom of my Roman villa, the room covered in lily petals.

"Alone at last" Thanatos said with a sigh.

"I couldn't agree more" I said.

"My precious wife" he whispered as he slid his hands up my back. I nuzzled into him and sighed happily.

"My dearest husband, now and always" I said as I ran my hands over his chest. I saw him smile before he unbuttoned the back of my dress, sliding it down my body. I gently kicked off my shoes and then stepped out of the dress, gently laying it on a chair. Thanatos shed his tux quickly, much to my delight. We stood there looking at each other for a moment before Thanatos pointed to my left hip.

"It's a gravestone with a rose climbing on it" he said softly.

"Does the stone say something?" I asked. Knowing my mother, the stone would have a message.

"Yes it does. It says 'Even in the presence of death, love can bloom.' Your mother chose something very proper" he said.

"Indeed" I said.

"Now I think we have other things to grasp our attention for a while" he said before unbraided my hair, unhooked my strapless bra and pushed down my panties.

"Hmmm I agree" I said as I pulled down his boxers. He was hard and my body was aching to have him once again.

"Libitina" he whispered before he picked me up and gently placed me on the bed. I moaned as he gently ran a hand over my wetness.

"Thanatos" I sighed as I pulled him down for a passionate kiss. My hand wandered down and gently cupped the hardness my husband was sporting, making him moan into my mouth.

"Ahh Libitina I fear I cannot be slow now. I just want you too badly" he whispered in my ear.

"Take me now my husband, I need you" I said. He sat up and slid his cock inside me, filling me up and making me gasp.

"Mmm you are so tight" he said with a moan as he started to pound me. I gasped and rocked my hips against his thrusts, matching their intensity.

"That's because we haven't played in a while" I said with a moan as he tweaked my nipples.

"I should be naughty and deny you more often" he said.

"Please don't it would drive me mad" I panted as he thrust again.

"Mmmm only if you let me bite your lovely nipples" he said with a low growl.

"Oh please do" I begged with a moan, rolling my hips once again. His smile was wicked as he closed his mouth and his teeth over my hardened nipple. I moaned, my wetness increasing. I knew it would not be long before he pushed me over the edge and I came for him.

"Mmmmm" he hummed as he sucked and bit, driving my body into an even more delicious heat.

"Oh Thanatos I'm so close" I panted.

"Come for me my beautiful bride" he said as he thrust harder inside of me. I cried out as I felt myself tighten around him and I came hard, my juices flowing down and over his cock which was still sheathed inside me. My husband let out a cry of his own and I felt his cock twitch as he came deep inside of me. I moaned as he gave a few more thrusts, sending more orgasms through me as we both came down from our sexual high. He slid out of me and ran a finger over my clit, making it hard and making me moan.

"I want more" I panted. I could hardly believe how much lust and love was running through me, but I just wanted to explore every bit of it.

"Mmmmm I like it when you are this insatiable. Get on your hand and knees" he said. I raised my eyebrow but did as he asked, looking over my shoulder at him. He slid me down the bed so my bottom half was near the edge before he pressed his hard cock next to my pussy from behind. My eyes widened and I blushed a little.

"Tease" I sighed before he slid a finger inside me.

"Only when it comes to you my dear" he said as he wiggled the finger inside me. I moaned, I was already so wet, I didn't know what he was waiting for. Then he slowly pulled the fingers out and thrust his hard cock into me with a hard push. I grunted and moaned as he cupped one of my breasts from behind, thrusting in and out of me with ever-increasing speed.

"Do I want to know how you came up with this idea" I gasped as he thrust himself back into me to the hilt.

"Can't I have some secrets my dear. Or else how am I going to keep our life just a little spicy" he said with a chuckle.

"Hmmm you have a point" I said. I let out another moan as he gently bit my neck.

"Let's just say love that you bring out a different side of me. I love that I can test things with you and I respect what boundaries you do have" he whispered as he ran his tongue over the spot that he had just bitten.

"I think I am going to enjoy that fact very much" I said as I came again. He let out a little growl and with another deep thrust he came inside of me.

"Mmm Libitina" he sighed as he slid out of me and lay down on the bed. I climbed back up beside him and lay down, pulling him into my arms.

"Rest now my dear, we've had a long day" I said with a small yawn. Since both of us were so tired I magically moved the covers we had pulled down earlier back up over us as we snuggled down to sleep.

"Good night my sweet" he said before he closed his beautiful eyes and drifted off.

"Good night" I whispered back before I too closed my eyes and drifted off. Several hours later I awoke for a moment and I took that time to look at the man who slept beside me. I could hardly believe how my life had changed since Thanatos had come into it. Our worlds were complete because even in the midst of so much death we brought each other back to life. We had danced with death and our love had won. I knew that with Thanatos by my side surely nothing was impossible. For we have forever, an eternity to share and discover. We will always be together and to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. We are together and we shall be forevermore.

The End


End file.
